


33.1

by muses_circle, xtremeroswellian



Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [5]
Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: 33.1, Breaking and Entering, Certain people deserve punching, Dean likes to punch people, F/M, Forgiveness, Friendship, Mending Bridges, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Sarah Blake, Roadtrips, Simpson's References, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23956291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muses_circle/pseuds/muses_circle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Dean learns a great deal more about Chloe and her past during a trip to Smallville.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan & Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan & Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Lana Lang/Lex Luthor, Sam Winchester & Chloe Sullivan, Sarah Blake (Supernatural) & Chloe Sullivan, Sarah Blake/Sam Winchester
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722754
Kudos: 2





	33.1

The sign read "30 miles to Smallville", and with each passing mile, Dean grew more antsy and impatient. "Are we there yet?" he grumbled, pushing the Impala's gas pedal to the floor. 

Despite her darkening mood, she managed a faint smirk. "No, but we're five minutes closer than the last time you asked." 

From the backseat, Sarah rolled her eyes. "He reminds me of Bart with his constant whining about being there yet," she whispered to Sam. 

"Bart?" Sam asked, his eyebrows furrowing a little. 

Laughing, she said, "Bart Simpson? Are we there yet?" Her eyes twinkled with mischief. 

Dean glared at Sarah from the rearview mirror. 

"Oh. I...never really watched that." 

At that, Chloe whipped her head around, staring at him wide-eyed. "Are you kidding me? You never watched the Simpsons?" 

Dean snorted. "Not like we had a lot of chances to watch television," he grumbled under his breath.

"Oh, you would have loved Bart Simpson," Sarah remarked casually. "He's just like you Dean: smart, crafty, always getting into trouble... short." She looked at Sam and laughed. 

Sam snorted, unable to keep from chuckling at her remark. "Sounds like Dean," he agreed with a smirk. 

Chloe shook her head a little and turned back around, the breath catching in her throat at the sign that read Smallville--10 miles. 

Glancing at her, Dean saw the concern on her brow. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I'm here... we’re here," he corrected himself. “She’ll be fine, I'm sure." Actually, he wasn't at all sure about this trip, he thought, but it had to be done. 

"Yeah," she murmured, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, threading her fingers through his. "I know." 

Sam glanced at his brother in the rearview mirror, his eyes troubled. 

Dean met Sam's eyes and nodded slightly. This wasn't going to be fun, he thought a little miserably. "Where... are we going to stay while we're here?" he asked her. 

"There's a motel just outside of town," she answered without hesitation. She wasn't about to suggest they stay with any of the people she knew. 

"Sounds good, Chlo," Sam said quietly, glancing at Sarah. 

Sarah saw that look and blushed a little. She wondered just how long they were going to keep the rooms segregated. She met Sam's eyes shyly but smiled at him nonetheless. "Works for me, Chloe," she replied.

"I think I see it," Dean replied in an even tone, pointing out the small, kinda shady hotel that was on the left. 

"That'd be it," she said softly, her muscles tensing as they rolled into Smallville. 

"Good, we're going there first, because I think we could all use a little shuteye before..." Dean let his sentence fall into silence. No need to say out loud what they were already thinking. Pulling the Impala into the hotel parking lot, he got out and pulled the seat ahead to let Sam and Sarah out. 

Sam climbed out of the car slowly, helping Sarah out, as well. He glanced at Chloe, who remained in the front seat. 

She slowly crawled out of the car, rising to her feet and looking around. "Smallville, here I come...right back where I started from," she said under her breath. 

Moving around to the passenger seat, Dean draped an arm around Chloe's shoulders. "I'm here," he reminded her, propelling her gently forward to the front office so they could check-in.

Looking at Sam, Sarah asked, "You ever been here before, Sam?' 

"No, but I've heard a lot about it," he admitted, glancing around with a worried expression. 

"Good things or... bad things?" she asked him, concerned at the look on his face. 

"Not good," he said grimly. 

"Great," she replied, holding her hand in his as she saw Dean and Chloe leave the front office with two sets of keys for adjoining rooms. Grabbing her stuff from the back of the Impala, she said, "So, which room you guys taking?" 

"Whichever one Dean chooses..." He shrugged a little and kissed the top of her head, leading her toward the room. 

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what would happen if he chose to stay with Chloe, but fortunately she didn't have to ask. Chloe handed her a set of keys for their room and, with a smile, opened the door.

"Dude, key," Dean replied, tossing it in Sam's direction. 

Sam caught it easily and looked at the room number, heading in the direction of the rooms. 

Chloe followed behind slowly, carrying her bags in one hand. She glanced at Sarah sideways before unlocking the door to their room and stepping inside, noting the connecting door with a faint smile. "See you guys in awhile?" 

"Sure, Chlo," Dean replied with a small smile. "Get some sleep. Promise me." 

"I'll try," she said softly, gazing at him. 

"I'll make sure she does a little," Sarah replied, throwing a smile and knowing look at Sam before stepping inside. 

"See ya soon," Sam said softly, watching her head into the room before he unlocked the door to his and Dean's room. 

Shaking his head, Dean followed his brother into their room and shut the door behind them.

Once inside, Sarah dropped her bags and looked around the small room. "Kinda small," she remarked, suddenly missing the warmth of Missouri's home. No wonder Sam and Dean were as hardened as they were... living in places like this. 

"Yeah...good representation of the whole town," Chloe murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

"Not much to do here, huh?" she asked, opening her bag and pulling out her her things to put into the dresser drawers. 

"Well, there's always plenty of running for your life to be had," she said grimly, tucking some hair behind her ear. 

Sarah laughed. "At least the guys won't be bored while we're here." She sat on the other bed and looked at Chloe, who was anything but pleased at the moment. "Hey, you alright?" 

She sighed softly. "Yeah. I just...don't really wanna be here." 

"Well, don't kill me for asking this, but... why are we here if you don't wanna be?" Sarah tucked a stray hair behind her ear. 

"Because Lana needs me," she said quietly. 

"Lana?" she asked, worry written across her face. "She's a friend of yours?" Maybe the friend she'd mentioned a couple days ago? 

"Yeah," she said softly. "She's the one who...lost her baby." 

"Oh God." Sarah bowed her head, her heart going out to this woman. "Man, I can't imagine what she's going through. Who... can I ask... is the father?" 

Chloe drew in a breath and gazed at her. "Lex Luthor." 

Sarah gasped a little. "As in... LuthorCorp, the company that practically owns the world?" 

She smiled grimly. "That'd be the one." 

She swallowed hard. "No offense, but my parents have done business with Lex's father and..." She hesitated, biting her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was offend her new friend. 

"He's a slimy worm in the gutter?" she provided, raising her eyebrows. 

"Yeah, pretty much," she said with a short bust of laughter. She sat down on one of the beds. "I take it you've dealt with them, too?" 

"Lionel Luthor tried to have me killed," Chloe told her. 

Sarah's eyes narrowed in pain as she stared at the blonde. She could still see the glimmer of pain reflected in her eyes from that, and really, who could blame her? "What a bastard," she whispered softly. "I know he's done that kind of thing in the past, too." 

"Yeah. He murdered his own parents. Doesn't speak well for his reputation." 

"That reputation being everything from that to larceny," she muttered. "Is his son any better?" 

"Used to be," she answered, her eyes growing dark with worry. "I'm starting to think he's just as bad these days." 

Shock spread throughout her body. What kind of person was Chloe's friend if she had gotten mixed up with the Luthors? "Can I ask... why Lana's with him?" 

Chloe was silent for a moment. "Because Clark broke her heart. And Lana isn't the type to deal well with being alone. Lex said he was in love with her and..." She shrugged a little. 

"So you're saying the guy who... was the same dude that loved Lana, even though he hurt her too and she went to Lex for comfort?" Man, when did she start sounding like Sam? And when had Chloe's life become such a soap opera? 

"It's all pretty screwed up, huh?" Chloe smiled wryly, and shook her head though her eyes were sad. 

She chuckled. "Life gets like that, doesn't it?" Standing up, Sarah walked over to where Chloe was and smiled. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I've kinda been in the same situation, and... I mostly survived." 

"You have?" she asked with surprise. 

She bowed her head, pained by the old memory that seemed so recent still. "Yeah, and it was the same thing," she sighed. "I loved him, he was my friend, he loved someone else. And I got to watch them have this long, tortured relationship, listen to all the gory details. Their breakup nearly did me in." 

"Well. We make a fine pair," she said with a short laugh, nudging Sarah lightly in the arm. 

"Hey, we could start our own club," she replied, smiling. "Broken Hearts R Us or something." 

Smiling a little, she shook her head. "We should get some sleep," she said quietly. 

"Yeah, good idea. I doubt any of us want to be here." She glanced at the connecting doors that separated the Winchesters from them and sighed. Turning, she grabbed her bag and took out her PJ bottoms to rest comfortably. 

Chloe didn't bother pulling pajamas out of her bag. She simply crawled beneath the covers of her bed and laid her head on the pillow, eyes focusing on the clock on the stand between them. 

&&&&&&&&

Chloe drew in a deep breath as she slowly entered the lobby of Smallville Medical Center, approaching the front desk with a knot of anxiety in her stomach. She'd tried to sleep--she really had. But after forty five minutes of staring at the clock, she gave up, snuck outside and called a taxi from her cell phone. Ten minutes later she found herself outside the hospital she herself had been admitted to more times than she cared to count. She got Lana's room number from the lady at the front desk and took an elevator to the fourth floor, the anxiety worsening the second she stepped off and spotted not only Clark, but Lois as well. Great. 

Clark had been talking to Lois, hammering her about questions on Lana's condition when he spotted a familiar blonde head whisk out of the elevator and dart into Lana's room. Was that...? He shook his head, certain he had been seeing her ghost. Again.

Lana had been trying to rest all morning, but in all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock and die. She'd never been more depressed, angry, or bitter in her life. She closed her eyes as the tears began to fall again, wondering if Lex, Clark, and Lois would ever leave her alone and stop asking questions. 

"Hey," Chloe whispered, making her way over to her friend's bedside. 

Her eyes flew open, and she turned to find Chloe Sullivan standing by her bed, her face filled with sorrow and worry. "Chloe?" she asked brokenly, the tears still streaming down her face. She wiped them away angrily. 

"Oh, Lana. I'm so sorry." Her own voice broke, tears filling her eyes. 

"Chloe." She didn't know what else to day or do: the intense feeling of despair had taken hold and wouldn't let go. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed for the hundredth time that day. 

Wordlessly, she sank down onto Lana's bedside, gathering her gently in her arms as a tears trickled down her own cheeks. 

Her shoulders shook with tears as she sank into Chloe's embrace, unable to speak for several minutes as she cried... for the suffering over the loss of her child. Their child. Seeing her only friend again after so long. "Where... h-have you b-been?" she sobbed. 

Immense guilt washed over her. "I needed some time away from...things," she murmured. 

She nodded. "Don't I know it? God, I've missed you, Chloe. It's been so hard... without you around. I can't... Lex is... we're not really... " She kept trying to speak but was unable to. 

She gazed at her friend sadly. "I know." Chloe let out a slow breath. "Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?" 

Pulling back from her friend, Lana looked up. "Give me my baby back?" She laughed bitterly at her asinine question, because she knew nothing would make that happen. 

"God, if I could..." She swallowed hard, looking down. 

She forced herself to calm down. "Are... Clark and Lois out there?" she whispered inaudibly. 

Her jaw tightened slightly. "Yeah. Do you want me to have them come in?" 

She smiled ruefully. "No, actually, I was kinda hoping they wouldn't be here." She glanced towards the door. "Can you shut that?" 

A faint smirk tugging at her lips, she glanced toward the door. "I'll do you one better." Winking at her, she rose to her feet and crossed the room, stepping into the hallway. 

When Chloe suddenly appeared in front of Clark, he started. He thought he'd seen a ghost, which Lois agreed with when she'd smacked him up side of the head for being a dummy, but no. She was there. In front of him. "Chloe?" he asked loudly in disbelief.

Behind him, Lois peeked around his massive body, her eyes wide. "Chlo, where the hell have you been?" she demanded. 

"Lana wants some space. So get gone," she said coldly to both of them, though her eyes locked only with Clark's. 

"What? No way, cuz," Lois started, though when that frosty glare turned on her, she shut up.

Clark felt like he'd been doused with frigid water, which, for him, was saying something. "Look, I know you're mad about... but Chloe, Lana needs us." 

A bitter smile touched her lips. "No. She doesn't. She doesn't want either of you here right now. So just...piss off." She turned and started to head back into the room. 

Trying to block her escape, Clark grabbed her arm, but in a movement he didn't anticipate, she turned around and smacked him across the cheek. Hard. The sound resonated through the corridor. "Ouch," he complained, though they both knew he wasn't hurt. "What was that for?" He rubbed his sore cheek. 

"You know exactly what it was for," she said darkly, glaring at him intensely for a moment before she disappeared into Lana's room once more, leaving Clark and Lois to stare at the shut door. 

"What was that noise?" Lana asked, seeing the intensely angry look on Chloe's face and frowning. 

"Nothing to worry about. Just getting rid of the undesirables," she said lightly. 

Shifting uncomfortably in the bed, Lana winced. "God, I wish I could get outta here. I wish... I wish I could be where you've been all this time," she whispered in a pained voice. 

"Trust me...you really don't," Chloe said quietly, moving to sit on the edge of her bed once more. "Are the doctor's giving you a timeframe for flying the coup?" 

She sighed. "It's gonna be another couple of days," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "I lost a lot of blood when I... And I'm still weak." And she wasn't sure how she was going to face the rest of the world when she got out. 

Nodding a little, she gazed at Lana. "Well. I'm here as long as you need me," she said quietly. 

"Thanks, Chloe," she whispered, not looking at the other woman. "Lex has been really... supportive, though distant. I've seen more of Clark than my own fiancé." She bit back another bitter laugh before turning to look at Chloe. 

Her jaw tightened a little and she made a mental note to go have a chat with Lex Luthor later. "I'm sorry. That has to be rough." 

She shrugged. "He's a busy man. You know how he is when it comes to business." She looked at Chloe curiously. "There's something different about you, Chlo. What is it?" 

She was a little surprised at Lana's perceptiveness. "I've...been on the road," she admitted. "Traveling a lot." 

"How?" she asked, a little confused. "I mean, when Clark found your car on the side of the road, we all thought you'd been kidnapped, murdered... it was horrible. And you've been... traveling the whole time?" 

Chloe cringed, for the first time regretting the decision to leave her beloved beetle behind. "I'm sorry about that, Lana. I guess I was...just hoping no one would try to track me down." 

She frowned, a little hurt by the fact that her friend seemed more interested in making herself scarce than confiding in her. "We've all tried calling, but you never answered... What happened to you, Chloe? What was so bad that you just... took off and made us all believe you were dead?" 

Chloe looked down at the floor. "It's a very, very long story...for another day." 

"Not like I'm going anywhere," Lana replied with a sad smile. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly heard some commotion outside. Her back went straight and her eyes wide. She thought she heard Clark arguing with another man... who wasn't Lex. 

Chloe heard the noise at the same time, her own eyes widening. Except she did recognize the voice. Dean. "I'll be right back," she said, quickly standing up and practically racing across the room. The second she flung open the door, she saw Dean with dark narrowed eyes, glaring at Clark, a stunned Lois looking on. 

Seeing her cousin first, she inched away from the two men and their testosterone-charged stare down and looked at Chloe. "Who is this guy?" she asked.

Dean, on the other hand, was more concerned with sizing up the large guy standing in front of Lana Lang's room like a stalker. His hands clenched into fists, and he wished again that there was a way to make this alien hurt. 

Ignoring Lois's question, she moved away and laid a gentle hand on Dean's arm. "It's okay," she said quietly, moving to stand beside him. 

"Aren't you gonna introduce us?" Clark asked with narrowed eyes as he stared at the shorter man before him. 

"I'm the guy who's gonna kick your ass into space," Dean replied, glaring up at this man he knew to be Clark. The alien. The one who'd... His eyes darkened with hate and irritation.

"Whoa, just... step back there a minute," Lois whispered, feeling the anger radiate off the shorter man. She was completely at a loss as to who he was and why he knew her cousin. 

Clark's eyes darkened a little more at the threat. His gaze flickered to Chloe, his eyes questioning and not in a polite way. 

"Dean, this is Clark, though I'm pretty sure you figured that out....and this is Lois Lane. My cousin," Chloe said flatly, her eyes devoid of emotion. 

He held out his hand towards her. "Come with me. Now." He never took his eyes off the other guy, really sure that if he didn't leave the medical center, one or both of them would end up a patient.

Lois was suddenly keenly interested in this exchange and wished she'd had her digital pocket recorder with her. Of course, she'd left it in the car. Dammit. 

Looking worried, she gazed at him, taking his hand and letting him lead her down the hallway. 

Clark made a motion to go after the two of them but Lois restrained him. "What the hell was that all about, Smallville?" she demanded, the reporter in her kicking in.

Dean said nothing to Chloe, just kept his hand firmly around hers until they got into the elevator. Only then did he look at her. "Why'd you come here? Alone?" He emphasized the last word. 

"Because Lana needs me, Dean." Her voice was quiet. "I couldn't sleep, so...I just..." She shrugged a little and looked at the floor. 

His grip tightened on her hand a little, and he bit back the surge of anger he'd seen at Clark's presence in the hallway. "You should have called me. I've have come with you," he grumbled, softening a little as he realized she really did need to be with her friend. 

"You needed the rest," she said softly, kissing his cheek softly. 

He leaned into her kiss and smiled. "Who says I did?" he retorted, looking down into her eyes and getting lost in them momentarily. "You're the one who's hardly slept the last couple of days." 

"Like you've been sleeping any better than me." She smiled faintly, her eyes worried. 

A discreet cough on the elevator disrupted Dean from making another comment, especially when he realized they had made it to the ground floor and people were waiting for them to move. Frowning, he led her out of the elevator and Smallville Medical Center. Once he got to the Impala, he swirled her around and took her into his arms. "Can't help it if I'm trying to take care of my girl," he replied with a lazy grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Chloe gazed at him intently, her green eyes boring into his hazel ones. "You're incredibly sweet," she whispered. 

Smiling seductively at her, he leaned towards her ear and whispered, "Wanna find out just how sweet?" He couldn't help himself, he thought; she looked and smelled like heaven. Her eyes were like rays of radiant light. He kept telling himself it was that and not the fact that she'd been in the same proximity as the guy who had nearly ruined her in so many ways. 

A small shiver ran through her at his words. "Dean," she whispered, touching his cheek with one hand. "I'm all right." 

His eyes, bright and filled with that emotion he didn't dare speak of again, bore into hers. "Good," he whispered, brushing his lips against hers quickly. "Because if Clark gets within 500 feet of you... I'll find a way to kick his ass." 

Chloe smiled faintly at his words. "I have no doubt." She glanced toward the hospital. "You know I have to go back up there." 

"With him up there? Hell no." 

"Trust me when I say Clark's not about to leave the hospital while Lana's in there...no matter how much she might want him to." 

"Oh let me have five minutes with him, and I can promise you he'll never step foot near you again." As badly as he wanted to go back to her friend's room with her, Dean knew it would raise too many questions. Questions he didn't think she was ready to answer. 

She gazed at him for a moment. "Tell you what...I'm gonna go see if she's okay for now...and then I'll come back with you, and...later...I'll introduce the two of you." Saying the words made a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. 

He grinned again, this time his eyes lit up with an impish look. "Would this meeting involve gun fighting or something sharp I can ram into his stomach?" 

Her eyes widened a little. "I meant introduce you to Lana," she said with a chuckle. 

"Oh," he replied, the look passing out of his eyes as he became serious again. "That'd... be nice, but can you handle the twenty questions she's gonna play once I meet her?" 

Chloe grinned. "Lana...doesn't ask a lot of questions. Lois, on the other hand..." Her smile faded a bit, became stonier. 

"I'll avoid her like the plague, then." He touched her cheek gently and pulled her to him so their bodies gently brushed against each other. "Hey, it's okay. If you can beat the whole brainwashing thing, then you can kick this, too." 

Gazing up at him, she nodded a little. "I know," she whispered. "And I will." 

He kissed her gently once more and then released her, stepping around to the driver's side and getting in. "I'll be here when you're done," he called with an honest smile. 

She turned to look at him once more. "I know you will be." You always are, she thought with a small smile on her face as she turned and headed back into the hospital once more. 

&&&&&&&&

Chloe wasn't as nervous as she had been the first time she'd made her way to Lana's hospital room. Something about seeing Dean and knowing he was just outside in the Impala waiting for her made the whole situation much more easy and bearable. Clark and her cousin seemed to be having some kind of heated discussion and didn't notice her until she got closer to her friend's room. Then they both stopped and stared at her like she was a complete stranger who'd invaded their space. And maybe in some way that was true. She regarded them with a cool nonchalance, as if none of the before confrontation had happened only moments ago. 

It took Clark several moments to recover from Lois's tirade over her cousin and that... guy, whoever he was. So when he saw her standing in front of them again, he didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

Lois, however, felt no such hesitance. "Okay, Chloe, just who the hell is that?" 

A smirk formed on her lips. "A friend," she responded distantly. 

"Looked more like a boyfriend to me," she replied, crossing her arms and staring at her cousin.

Clark blinked in surprise. "Where'd you get that guy?" he asked, frowning at the memory of a complete stranger threatening to kick his butt. 

The smirk grew wider. "Wouldn't you both just love to know all the details?" she drawled, her eyes glittering as she headed into Lana's room without further adieu, and shut the door. 

Clark ignored the outrageous look Lois threw at him; he was just as shocked and he promised himself that, the first moment he got, he'd find Chloe and talk to her. Apologize to her... make her understand how bad he felt. 

&&&&&&&&

Dean beat his hands against the steering wheel, music cranked up to his favorite Metallica song. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the medical center parking lot, but it wasn't like he had anywhere to go. Definitely not back to the hotel to watch Sam and Sarah make cow eyes at each other. He got several odd glances as people passed him, but it wasn't until he saw Chloe approach the Impala like the Devil himself was at her heels did he turn down the music. 

She quickly climbed in the passenger seat. "Let's get outta here," she murmured, fastening her seat belt. 

"Done, sweetheart." The Impala roared into life and they screeched out of the parking lot. "So how'd things go?" he asked, casting a glance over towards Chloe. 

"Lana's a wreck," she said softly, leaning her head against the headrest and staring out the windshield. "Do you mind making a stop?" 

He nodded wordlessly. "Where you need to stop?" He knew she was worried about her friend, but there was something else. He wondered if Clark had said anything to her... if they'd had another confrontation. 

"I'll give you directions." Not ten minutes later, he'd pulled the Impala into the driveway of the Luthor mansion. She sat still, staring at it for a few seconds before slowly reaching for the door handle. 

"Chloe." Dean grabbed her hand to keep her from getting out. He couldn't ignore the castle that spread out before him, the testament to just how far people get when they manipulate the system. However, he was more concerned about what she was going through. "Who are you going to see in there?" 

"Lex Luthor," she answered, letting out a breath. 

Lex Luthor. "As in... LuthorCorp?" he asked, recalling her comments about Lionel Luthor. "How is he connected to your friend?" 

"Lex is...Lana's fiancé." 

Dean blinked in surprise. "Fiancé, huh?" He looked down at her hand and squeezed it. "I think I should come in with you." Since Sam has told him about the Luthors trying to kill her off, he didn't feel so sure about he going in there alone. 

"I'm not sure that's..." She bit her lip. 

"Chloe, I know the Luthors tried to kill you." He stared into her troubled eyes with an intensity that surprised even him. With each passing day, he wanted to protect her, no matter what. 

That caught her off guard and she stared at him wide-eyed. "How did you..." 

"Sam told me." He grasped her hand, squeezing it gently, not wanting to let her go. 

"But how did Sam..." Something clicked in the back of her mind. "Right." She looked out the window. 

"Look, I made him tell me, okay? Sam sucks at hiding things, so I threatened to put him into the hospital if he didn't spill it." He wished she'd turn around and look at him. 

"The funny part is, I didn't tell Sam." She glanced at him sideways. "It's okay. If I said I didn't Google your names as part of a precautionary safety plan, I'd be lying, too." 

He gave her a lazy grin. "That's all you're gonna Google? Just my name?" Leave it to Sammy to research her thoroughly and not say anything to him about it, he mused, catching her gaze once more. 

"You'd be surprised what you can find out about a person just by Googling their name." She smiled faintly, reluctantly meeting his gaze. 

Damn, he thought with a silly grin. "You're making me blush." He looked at her but let go of her arm. "Let me come in with you." 

She hesitated a moment. "For your own safety...I'm not sure that's a great idea," she said quietly. 

"For your safety, it'd be better if I went with you," he protested, looking straight ahead and wished they’d never come to this town. 

Closing her eyes and feeling worlds apart from the man beside her, she slowly leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Lex won't hurt me, Dean. But...if you insist..." 

"When haven't I insisted?" he asked, closing his eyes at her gentle touch. He'd noticed a change in her demeanor and attitude towards him since Missouri helped her overcome what the preacher had done to her... and as much as he wanted it, he couldn't believe she was any more than thankful. 

"Good point." She smiled a bit. "Alright. Come on." Chloe reached out and grabbed the door handle, opening the door and stepping out, shivering a bit as a few snowflakes fluttered down from the sky. 

Smiling, liking the fact that she did want him around, Dean got out of the Impala and moved around the back of the car, coming up from behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "Cold?" he whispered in her ear. 

"Yeah, a little," she admitted, glancing up at him as they approached the guard's station. "Chloe Sullivan. Here to see Lex Luthor. I'm a good friend of his fiancée’s," she told the man. 

Dean watched as the man spoke into a remote radio before opening the gate to let them in. He let her lead him into the house, which was the biggest thing he'd ever seen. "You know where you're going in here?" he asked before seeing another guard step in front of them, offering to take them to 'Mr. Luthor'. "Freakin' Fort Knox," he muttered. 

"Tell me about it." She paused, pointing up toward one of the windows above. "I got thrown out that window once." 

"Fuck, Chloe," he muttered under his breath. How was she still alive? he wondered. They traversed the crooked hallways until they got to a set of double doors. The guard opened them and led them in, shutting the door behind them. A young though bald man, sitting behind a large desk shut his laptop and stood up, a formal smile on his face. Lex Luthor, Dean surmised.

"Chloe Sullivan," Lex said casually. "Back in town, I see." 

"Sorry, you didn't get rid of me forever," she said with a faint smirk, raising an eyebrow. 

"Nonsense," he replied, walking around his desk, hands in pockets, to stare at Chloe and the man standing very close to her. "I'm just glad you're safe." He cocked an eyebrow in Dean's direction. "And you are?"

"Dean Winchester," Dean replied, his gaze not wavering from the cool eyes that looked back at him. 

"Clark called...he told me about Lana," she said, her voice quiet. "I'm sorry, Lex." 

Neither Lex's actions nor his eyes betrayed any emotion he might have felt for the situation. "Thank you, Chloe," he replied. "It's been hard for both of us. Lana especially." 

"Yeah. Especially considering she's alone," Chloe replied evenly, gazing at him intently. 

Nonplussed, Lex shrugged. "I visit her as much as possible, but I have several projects that requite my immediate attention."

Dean felt that this guy needed a serious thrashing for leaving his own fiancée to face something as bad as a lost pregnancy alone. Casting a side glance at Chloe, he wondered what might have happened had Chloe really been pregnant. 

Chloe's jaw tightened. "Well. Nice to see you've got your priorities in order, Lex. As per usual." 

Anger flashed across his eyes for a second. "Lana's important to me, Chloe. If you'd been around, you would have been aware of that."

Dean nearly took a step in the other man's direction but refrained. He had noticed the guards in various corners of the room, watching every move he and Chloe made. 

"I haven't been gone that long, Lex," she reminded him coolly. "But what I do know is that Lana feels very alone and let down by the person who claims to be in love with her." 

"Just like you claimed to love her as a friend?" he asked, his voice steely and hard.

"That's it," Dean replied, taking her arm. "Let's go." 

Chloe's eyes narrowed and she glared at Lex. "I do love Lana as a friend. If I didn't, I sure as hell would never have come back to this shit-hole," she said angrily, turning and heading out of the room. 

"It's a real shame that mouth of yours has never landed you a boyfriend," Lex replied, wanting the last word. "Unless you've traded Clark Kent in for this... older model."

Dean saw red, and the next thing he knew, he'd knocked Lex to the ground with a fist to the nose. 

"Dean!" Chloe quickly grabbed him and pulled him away from Lex, stunned. 

"Cold-hearted bastard's got it coming," he growled, towering over Lex and glaring at him. 

Wiping the blood from his nose, he looked at Chloe. "I believe you know the way out." 

Still holding onto Dean's arm, she did her best not to smirk. There was something immensely satisfying about the fact that Dean had just knocked Lex Luthor on his ass. "Come on, let's get outta here. This was a waste of time." She pulled him toward the door. 

"Oh, I disagree," Dean replied with a satisfied smile on his face. "Always a good time when bleeding's involved." He let Chloe lead the way back out of Lex's mansion, all the time aware of Lex's guards close on their heels. 

By the time they climbed in the Impala, Chloe was a mixture of humored and upset. She fastened her seatbelt and turned to gaze at him wordlessly. 

Roaring the Impala to life, Dean turned to look back at her. He touched her cheek gently. "He's an ass," he replied, wishing he could do more than just walk back inside and knock Lex Luthor out. 

"Yeah, but that's not news," she said wryly. 

"But it'd be worth hitting him again if it meant seeing you smile again," he replied before putting the Impala into gear and pulling out of the Luthor mansion driveway. 

Her eyes softened at his words. "Well, you don't have to go to extremes to make me smile, Dean." Her voice was soft. 

A knowing smirk crossed his features, though it was gentle and quickly becoming the smile he'd use just for her. "I know. It's just more fun that way. So... back to the hotel?" 

"Actually...if you want, I can...show you around town a little. Not much to show, but..." She smiled faintly. 

"Sounds like fun." He grinned at her with a glint in his eyes. "Looks like we'd be done in twenty minutes, though. Is there anyplace interesting here?" 

She smirked. "Well, there's...the Talon. And...Crater Lake. Or...even better. I could show you all the spots in town where I was almost killed by a Meteor Freak." 

He rolled his eyes but laughed. "Which one'll take longer?" He glanced at her again. "And please tell me there's a place we can park and make out at the end of the tour." 

She chuckled involuntarily. "Well, I'd suggest Potter's Field, but...don't have too many fond memories of that place." 

"Why? You gonna tell me you were buried alive there?" He chuckled before sneaking another look in her direction and saw her face pale considerably. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" 

She managed a grim smile. "Not so much." 

"Christ, Chloe, what kind of messed up place is this?" He looked around, wondering if there were things to hunt while they were here. 

Swallowing hard, she sat back in the seat, tears stinging her eyes. "Tell me about it." 

Pulling into the nearest parking lot, Dean put the Impala into park and turned to look at her. "Why don't you?" he asked, staring at her intently. 

"Why don't I what?" she asked softly, looking at him. 

"Tell me about this place. What you've seen, how friggin' weird it is... hell, what we can hunt while in town." Her eyes, which were as green as the Christmas trees and wreaths still hanging up around town, threatened to melt his heart completely. Something a woman had yet to do, and even now, he wasn't so sure he wanted that to happen. Surely, after all was said and done, she'd leave them... him... after enough time passed. 

Chloe drew in a breath and turned her head to look out the windshield. "We moved here when I was twelve. Eighth grade. It was...it was always weird here. I always knew something wasn't right, you know? My dad thought I was kinda crazy for awhile, I think." A sad smile tugged at her lips. "Freshman year of high school hit and I had more access to things. Because of working on the Torch mostly. My friend Pete helped a lot...and Clark...occasionally. When he wasn't busy with other things anyway." 

"Hmm, other things being... what? Chasing Lana Lang? Saving the world?" Being a tall-ass alien? he continued mentally. 

"All of the above. In all fairness to Clark...he did his fair share of saving me too," she admitted quietly. 

"That's why I won't kill him," Dean replied, taking her hand with a soft smile. "But that's all I'm gonna give him, Chloe." 

She tried to smile but didn't quite manage it, unshed tears in her eyes when she looked at him. She nodded slightly to show she understood and after a moment she rested her head on his shoulder, exhaling slowly. She began telling him about all the different meteor freaks she'd encountered in her years in Smallville. "Oh, and then there were all those fun times when I was possessed," she said grimly, shutting her eyes. 

Dean said nothing; he just let her talk. His arm crept around her so he could pull her closer to him. He wanted to hold her, and thankfully, she didn't pull away. "Possessed, huh?" he asked, absently threading his fingers through her hair and thinking about his fair share of possessions and exorcisms when he was younger. Hunting with his father. He dropped a sad kiss on her forehead. 

"Yeah...let's see...once by a 17th century witch. Then by a pissed off high school prom queen...and then by a dead girl who was buried in the wall of my cousin's apartment." A shudder passed over her. 

"I take it this last one wasn't pleasant." 

"None of them were, but...that one was..." She bit her lower lip, staring out the window. 

Chloe's words and the way her body froze made Dean immediately think of "The Exorcism". Never mind that was his favorite movie, because he inwardly winced at the thought of Chloe being possessed so horribly. "Why didn't you leave sooner? A place like this is bad for anyone." 

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast," she murmured. 

Hope. That was something he didn't believe in anymore. Or at least, he hadn't... until he met her. Pulling her away from him, he gazed at her sad face before pressing his forehead against hers. "At least you have it," he whispered. 

"So do you," she said quietly. "It's just...buried." 

"No, it died when my father did," he admitted quietly. 

Chloe pulled away a little to gaze him. "We all have hope, Dean. If we didn't...we wouldn't still be here." She searched his eyes. 

The answers he knew she was searching for as she gazed at him were beyond his grasp. He looked down, unable to handle it. "What if I told you that... I don't know if I want to be here anymore?" His voice was quiet, unobtrusive, as if he expected a lecture in return. 

She gently lifted his chin up once more to look at him, worry in her eyes. "Why would you say that?" she whispered. 

"Because... it's true." His empty eyes gazed into hers. "I'm tired, Chlo." 

Unsettled, she leaned her forehead against his once more, resting a hand over his heart because she didn't know what to say. 

He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath before continuing. "I'm tired of this life... tired of... well, everything. Especially since... Dammit, why did Dad tell me that?" He uttered this last question to himself, his words a ragged whisper in the confines of the car. 

"Tell you what?" she whispered, her eyebrows furrowing a little in confusion. 

He pulled away from her and turned to stare out the window. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, not even Sammy," he replied, his voice emotionless. 

Chloe gazed at him intently, feeling a knot in her stomach forming quickly. She laid a hand on his arm. "Dean. You can trust me," she whispered. Not because she wanted to know--but because he needed to tell someone. She just hoped he trusted her more than Clark did. 

"Dad told me something before he... died. Something about... Sam." He closed his eyes, the memory of those words branded on his mind forever. 

She nodded, reaching up and touching the back of his neck without really thinking about it. 

"You can't say anything to Sammy, Chloe.... but... Dad told me the Demon who killed... everyone we've ever loved... is after him, too." He felt her touch on the back of his neck and felt somewhat comforted, though he was too busy trying to get the words out to acknowledge her comfort. 

Stunned and more than a little horrified, Chloe felt the breath catch in her throat. She had the distinct feeling there was something he was leaving out. "Wait...the demon....killed your mother when Sam was a baby...in his nursery," she murmured. "Was it after him then?" 

"Yes." He pinched his fingers against the bridge of his nose. 

She shut her eyes. "It wasn't after your mother at all," she whispered as realization hit her. "God." 

"Yeah," he rasped, his voice hard with the pent-up emotion he didn't want, didn't need to acknowledge. "It wanted Sam. Hell, it still wants Sam. I'll die before that happens." 

"But why Sam? I mean..." Her words froze on her lips. "Because of his visions?" she whispered, voice barely audible as she gazed at him wide-eyed. 

Dean turned his head and looked at her, his eyes dark and dangerous. "It's much more than that, Chloe," he stated. "Dad thinks... thought... the Demon wants Sam for himself... because he's part demon himself." Even as he spoke the words, he couldn't suppress the shudder that ran across his body. It couldn't be true, he thought. He still didn't believe it. 

All the color drained from Chloe's face. "What? How is that even...Dean, how is that even possible?" 

"That's the kicker. Dad didn't know himself, though he had his theories... that somehow, the Demon infused his essence into Sam while Mom was still pregnant with him." He touched her cold cheek and frowned. He didn't want her to share his burden. And he dared not admit that sharing this felt... freeing. 

She swallowed hard, falling silent for several long moments. "But...Sam...isn't evil," she whispered, trying to work it all out in her head. 

"Well, only when he's glued your Batman Underroos to your hand," Dean replied with a sad smile, unable to look Chloe in the eye. 

She gazed at him intently. "But the Demon wants him. So he can, what...turn Sam?" 

"Yeah, the Demon wants him. It has... plans... for him, and I'm afraid that... it's gonna try to... turn him." The words hurt coming out. Physically. He felt like his heart would burst. He looked up at Chloe with forlorn, hopeless eyes. 

She gazed into his eyes, saw the fear and sorrow there and her heart hurt at the sight. And a fiery determination like she'd never felt before washed over her. "Well, that's never gonna happen." 

"Careful, you're beginning to sound like me," he warned playfully, a little awed by the willfulness in her voice. 

"Guess you become like those you spend the most time with," she responded with an arched brow. 

"Either that or you've got that whole protect Sam as much as you can thing goin' for you," he retorted, stroking her cheek. "Dude needs all the help he can get." 

"Maybe both," she said quietly, gazing at him intently and not pulling away from his light touch. 

Maybe it was something in her eyes: the concern, the determination, the uncertainty of the future. Whatever it was, Dean couldn't stop from leaning in and kissing her softly, his hand still cupping her cheek. '

She closed her eyes, returning the soft kiss and then leaning her forehead against his when it ended. "We'll keep him safe," she said quietly, a soft vow. 

Her reaction surprised him, yet gave him a moment of peace. Something he'd not felt in a long time, if at all. "Yes, he's going to be okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again, this time a hint of thanks in his touch. 

She rested her chin on his shoulder. She didn't know what was going to happen or how she was going to help. She just knew Dean wasn't going to deal with this alone anymore. They'd find some way to keep Sam safe. 

They had to. 

&&&&&&&&

"God, Sam, I can't believe how... weird Smallville is," Sarah said from Sam's laptop. She'd been reading through the Smallville Ledger's archives and Chloe's newspaper articles from The Torch, which was the high school news paper. Made for interesting reading, and she wondered how the guys had managed to not live here. She just couldn't imagine living in a place where meteor showers struck and changed everything, including the people. 

After Dean had taken off after Chloe, Sarah had come into the guys' room and had seen Sam on his computer. She didn't have to ask to hit the research, because he'd immediately wanted her to read up on Smallville, the town that Mother Nature warped. It was like reading something out of the X-Men comics or something.

"Sam, did you read about this chick who could teleport herself?" she asked, turning to find Sam behind her, a strange smile on his face. 

"Musta missed that one. A lot of weirdness here in this town," he commented, looking down at her. 

"Must've been hard, living here," she replied, a thoughtful smile on her face. She hadn't been surprised, though, when she'd gotten up to find Chloe gone. She figured she was at the hospital visiting her friend. 

"I'm sure it was," Sam agreed quietly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "I think she's been through more than we know." 

"And put it down on paper, apparently." She'd pulled up the obituary that was written when everyone thought Chloe was dead and frowned. She wondered if Sam knew about this. Or Dean, for that matter. She started chewing on her bottom lip in concentration. 

"Yeah, that," he murmured, catching a glimpse of what she was looking at. 

Saying nothing else, she pulled up another news article about Lionel Luthor's imprisonment for murdering his parents and how his son, Lex, had taken over the company and seemed to be just as nefarious as his father. Her heart sank the more she read, until it got to the point where she actually closed the laptop. Standing, she wrapped her arms around her and walked over to the window. 

"Hey, you okay, Sarah?" he asked quietly, rising to his feet. 

She didn't know if she was okay, truth be told. She sighed and continued staring out the window. "I... don't know how much... help... I'll be with you guys," she whispered finally. 

He was silent for a moment. "I think you'll be a lot more help than you think," he told her gently. 

Sarah nodded but she wasn't so sure. Being with Sam was the best thing in the world, but outside of that... really, what did she have to offer Chloe right now, aside from the role of the shoulder to cry on? Didn't Dean take care of that? "How so, Sam?" she asked, turning around and looking at him. 

A faint smile touched his lips. "For one, you're braver than most people I know. And you're incredibly intelligent, you're great with research..." 

"So you're calling me a nerd with guts?" Her lips curved upwards into a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. 

"Well considering that's my title..." He took a step closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. 

"Maybe I'm just the shorter version." She smiled a bit more at his touch, though it faded quickly. "I don't know how to research getting someone through a miscarriage. Or a broken heart, for that matter." She just had her own experience, which was bad enough. 

Sighing softly, he wound his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Sarah...who does?" he whispered honestly. 

She swallowed hard, her hands going around his waist and hanging there loosely. God, what was wrong with her? she wondered. Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back, but that's just what I know. That still can't help Chloe out." 

His eyebrows furrowed briefly and he pulled away to look at her. "I'm sure it helps more than you realize. Because it means she's not alone." He tilted her chin up to look at him. 

"Yeah," she whispered, looking back at him with an honest look. "She can't go through this alone." She slipped out his arms and walked back to the laptop. "I wonder how Chloe's doing." And whether she'd faced Clark or not. 

"Hard telling." He let out a breath, gazing at her. "What are you looking for anyway?" 

"I don't know," she said, her brow furrowing. "With all the strange crap that happens in this town... maybe something had happened to her friend to make her lose her baby?" She looked up to see Sam's face in a wary smile. "You think I'm nuts." 

"Not at all. Given what I know about this town...it's a distinct possibility. Might as well check into it." 

"You wanna help?" she grinned and held out a hand. 

"Love to," he said with a grin, taking her hand and sitting down. 

"Good, because I think I need close contact to help my brain work." She snuggled against him and smiled peacefully as she hit another search of the local paper archives. 

Chloe slowly climbed out of the passenger seat of the Impala, her face grim as the news about Sam weighed upon her heavily. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact he was part-demon. She cast a glance at Dean, who looked both calm and slightly nervous at the same time and considering he was a walking contradiction, she wasn't surprised. She looped her arm through his silently as they headed toward their motel rooms. 

Though part of him was relieved that he could not only share his burden with Chloe but also have her dedicate herself to keeping his brother safe, Dean was still worried about what the future held. This was something he never thought about, either, which caused extra stress. Just something I need, he grumbled inwardly as he pulled his room key out of his pocket. Planting a small kiss to Chloe's head, he unlocked the door and opened it to find Sam and Sarah sitting at Sam's laptop, both of them concentrated so hard on whatever was on the screen. Their faces were wide with shock and disbelief. "Okay, who died?" he announced, letting Chloe in ahead of him. 

She stepped inside, looking at them worriedly. "What is it?" she asked, instantly on guard. 

Sam looked up at them and then back at Sarah. "We found something and we think..." He paused. "We think it may have to do something with why your friend lost her baby." 

Chloe gazed at him for a moment then shifted her gaze to Sarah. "What'd you find?" 

Sarah tried to meet the other girl's eyes but couldn't. "Sam and I have been looking through the archives of the Smallville Ledger and found something... weird."

Dean snorted. "Imagine that. Weirdness in this craphole of a town." He gazed intently at Sam, however, a little concerned over what they'd found. 

"There was another woman," Sam began quietly, gazing at Chloe. "Who miscarried just a few days before your friend, but...it wasn't...exactly a miscarriage." 

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Then what exactly was it?" 

"More like... a theft." Sarah's worried gaze watched Chloe's confusion turn into utter shock at the implication. 

"Wait a minute, are you saying that...you think someone is stealing unborn babies from their mothers?" she asked in horror. 

Dean's expression went blank from the mere thought.

Sarah glanced over at Sam and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know it's insane, but... the way the article described how she'd lost the baby..." She put her hand on the laptop, hesitant to let Chloe read the way-too-disturbing article. 

"Tell me everything," she whispered, swallowing hard. Every instinct in her body was telling her that they were onto something and no matter how dark and gruesome it was, she had to know. 

Dean quietly slipped his hand into hers, threading their fingers tightly together in comfort.

Taking a deep breath, she stared at the computer screen. "According to the reports, the woman... a Lucy Muir... was walking down Main Street the other day when she fell to the ground, just like that." She snapped her fingers to indicate the immediacy. "She'd been five months pregnant when she collapsed, but by the time she got to Smallville Medical Center, her unborn child was not in her body. She was unconscious for several hours, and when she came to, she said she felt something rip her baby from her body." Sarah shuddered at the sheer horror of her words. It was totally unthinkable, she thought sadly. 

Chloe suddenly felt ill. "Did they...find the baby?" 

Sarah shook her head slowly, not trusting her voice to speak.

Dean put his arm around her to keep her on her feet. "You're sure about this, Sarah?" he asked, glancing over at his brother.

"It's all here." She pointed to the computer, her eyes wide and fearful. 

"Okay. We don't know that this is the same thing that happened to Lana," she said, trying to remain calm and rational despite her growing horror at the thought that it just might have. 

"No, we don't," Sam agreed softly. "But...maybe...we should find out." 

Chloe met his gaze and was silent for a moment. "I need to go back to the hospital and talk to her," she murmured. 

"I agree," Sarah replied, standing up. "I should go with you, Chloe." She looked down at Sam for a second before her gaze settled on Dean.

"No, I'm going back with her," he protested, even though he knew, deep down inside, that it would be better for the girls to go themselves.

"Dean, get over it, okay? You two... stay here." She held out her hands, silently asking for the keys to the Impala. 

"She's right," Chloe said softly, gazing at him. "I'm not sure how Lana would respond to...another guy right now." Her voice was gentle, her eyes pleading with him to understand. 

Sam nodded his agreement. "They're right, Dean." He glanced at Sarah, knowing she needed to do this to prove to herself she could help them. 

Dean reluctantly handed over the keys to Sarah. "If you so much as scratch her..." he warned with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try, tough guy," Sarah retorted, reaching over to gently squeeze Sam's shoulder before going into her room to grab her purse. 

"Thanks," Chloe said, gazing at him intently for a moment. 

Dean smirked in response. "Ruin all my fun. I wanted a shot at your al-- asshole friend Clark." 

A faint smile tugged at her lips. "I have a feeling you'll get your chance eventually," she admitted, the smile not reaching her eyes. 

Dean leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Be careful," he whispered in her ear.

About that time, Sarah walked through the connecting doors and looked uncertainly at Sam, deliberately avoiding the scene in front of them. 

Sam smiled at her gently. "See you soon?" 

"Yeah," she whispered, suddenly shy in Sam's presence. "Soon." Casting a small, secretive smile in his direction, she left the hotel room and headed for the Impala. 

Chloe followed behind her, praying that what had happened to Lana wasn't the same thing that had happened to Lucy Muir. Because she wasn't sure her friend would be able to handle that. 

"Dude, I think we're out of our league on this one," Dean muttered, watching the girls leave. 

"You and me both," Sam said quietly. 

Sarah had the Impala started up and ready to leave when Chloe got in the car. The drive to Smallville Medical Center was quiet and filled with an unspoken anxiety that made her extremely uncomfortable. Once again, she wondered how she could help Chloe out, because she had no idea what she was doing. 

"Thanks for coming with me," Chloe said quietly as they rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. 

"No problem," Sarah replied, watching the elevator doors slide open to reveal their chosen floor. "Figured your friend might be more... open about what happened if there was another woman around." She held the door open for the blonde to exit the elevator, not aware of the tall dark-headed man watching them step out. 

Chloe tensed almost instantly, avoiding Clark's gaze. "Her room's down the hall and to the right. 422." 

Noticing Chloe's body stiffen immediately, she whispered, "What's wrong?" She walked with her towards Lana's room. 

"That tall guy there? That's Clark Kent," she said simply. 

"Great," She muttered, shooting a hating glare in Clark's direction.

A little surprised to see Chloe back to visit Lana, Clark took several steps towards her and the brunette with her. "Chloe, what's going on? Who's she?" he asked stupidly.

Swirling around, Sarah looked up at Clark and shot daggers at him with her eyes. "You don't get to speak to her, got that, fella?" 

Chloe was a little caught off guard by the fierceness of Sarah's voice, but it made a tiny smile appear on her lips. "Come on, Lana needs us," she whispered, taking her friend's arm and ignoring Clark for the time being. 

Sarah let Chloe take her into Lana's room, though she never took her eyes off the man who had come close to destroying the person who was guiding her away. She suddenly felt the need to belt him for being such an jackass. A quick turn into the room and Sarah was face to face with Lana Lang, Lex Luthor's girl. She plastered a small smile on her face.

"Chloe?" Lana asked weakly, trying to sit up. “I'm surprised to see you again..." Her voice trailed off when she saw a raven-haired beauty standing next to her a little awkwardly. 

She offered Lana a small smile. "This is my friend Sarah Blake. Sarah, this is my friend Lana Lang," she said softly, stepping farther into the room. 

"Hi," Sarah replied with a cordial smile. Normally she'd shake hands, but in this case... she looked around the room as she shut the door.

"Nice to meet you," Lana murmured, obviously disappointed that Chloe had not brought Lex like she'd promised when she was here last. "So... where's Lex?" 

Chloe's jaw tightened a little. "I'm sorry, Lana...he's holed up with work," she whispered, feeling guilty. 

Lana's face fell into misery. "He always is," she whispered, trying to keep it together, especially since a total stranger was in the room. 

Feeling hesitant, she moved to her friend's bedside and slowly sat down. "Lana, what...do you remember about what happened?" she asked quietly. 

Eyes filling with tears, Lana glanced over at Sarah before answering. "W-What do you mean?" she replied.

Sarah looked down but asked, "She means... what brought about your... the miscarriage?"

"I was at Lex's," she replied, taking a deep breath. 

Chloe nodded slightly to show she was listening, her gaze resting intently on Lana's face. She touched her friend's hand for comfort. 

Closing her eyes, Lana tried to remember how she's gotten to the hospital, whether she had felt pain or not... and found she recalled nothing about it. "Yeah, I was at Lex's and must have fallen or something... because the next thing I knew, I woke up here." She looked at the other women, a worried look on her face. 

"Okay," Chloe murmured, giving Lana's hand a gentle squeeze. She looked over her shoulder at Sarah. 

She looked back at Chloe, the fearful knowledge that Lana's baby might have suffered the same fate as Lucy Muir's only days before creeping around her heart and making it heavy.

Lana kept her eyes on Chloe. "What... I don't understand why I can't remember what happened to me." 

The words hit closer to home with Chloe than Lana realized and she was quiet for a moment. "Sometimes...when something traumatic happens your mind blocks it out until you're ready to remember," she said gently. 

"But what if I don't want to remember?" she whispered, her voice an inaudible rasp that spoke of intense heartbreak.

Sarah's eyes watered over seeing this poor girl's anxiety, especially since she now suspected the connection and the thing out there taking women's babies from them. 

Chloe swallowed hard and wordlessly gathered her friend into her arms, rubbing her back soothingly. She couldn't tell Lana that everything was going to be okay, because it was a lie. Her baby was gone and there was no way to give back to her what had been stolen. 

But she'd be damned if she didn't track down the thing that had harmed her and make sure it didn't do it to anyone else. "You should rest," she said softly, watching Lana lay back against the pillows once more. "I'll come by and check on you again later, okay?" 

Lana nodded, feeling very small and stupid lying in a hospital bed when she should be at home with Lex. "Okay," she whispered, mustering a sad smile for Sarah. "Nice meeting you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Sarah said with a sad but cordial smile.

Lana looked again at Chloe. "Is there... any visitors out there who want to see me?" 

Chloe drew in a breath. "Just Clark," she said softly. 

That jackass, Sarah thought, her brows furrowing into a frown.

"Oh," Lana replied softly. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Think you can let him in when you leave?" 

Her eyes sad, she nodded a little. "I can do that," she told her quietly, kissing her forehead before turning and heading to the door, Sarah right behind her. 

Swinging the door open, Sarah waltzed out and walked right up to the man Chloe identified as Clark Kent. "I don't know why she wants to see you, but she does," she said, indicating towards Lana's room.

Clark cocked his head in amusement, wondering who this woman was. 

Chloe met his eyes for the briefest of moments. "Come on, Sarah. The guys are probably getting anxious," she told her friend. 

Giving Clark a heated, angry once-over, she replied, "Yeah, let's go, Chlo," and took her friend's arm, leading them both quickly away from Clark, who watched them leave with acute dismay.

Once inside the elevator, Sarah glanced at Chloe and smiled with satisfaction. "He should be glad I'm all bark and no bite." 

A grin spread across Chloe's lips. "Somehow I have a feeling that's not entirely true." 

She blushed a little but shrugged. "Maybe I have a little bite," she replied. "But that Clark guy just... can I hate him for you? Because I have no problem with that." She turned and smiled honestly at Chloe. 

Her eyes were sad. "Yeah. You can hate him for me. Since I can't exactly do it myself." 

"I know you can't," Sarah replied with a wry smile. "Hard to hate someone you still love." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. They walked out and left the medical center. "So are you thinking what I'm thinking about Lana's miscarriage?" 

"I'm thinking there's some kind of baby stealing demon in this town and I want it dead," she answered grimly. 

"That makes two of us. How exactly do we find this thing?" She threw Chloe the keys as they reached the Impala and waited by the passenger side door. 

She stood silently for a moment, deep in thought. "I'm not sure," Chloe murmured. "But I have a feeling the guys will have some ideas." 

"I hope so," she murmured, feeling a little out of place suddenly. She looked across the car at Chloe, who was fingering the keys to the Impala, and smiled a little. "What, you afraid of what Dean'll say if you drove his baby?" 

A smile tugged at her lips. "I've driven the car before," she told Sarah. "He wasn't thrilled, but..." She shrugged and unlocked the door, sliding into the driver's seat. 

"He obviously got over it," she said, a knowing smirk on her lips as she got into the passenger side and got in. Buckling her seatbelt, she looked at her friend. "I'm sorry this happened to Lana I wouldn't wish that on anyone." 

"Yeah, me either," she whispered, her smile slipping once more. Starting the engine, she put the car into drive and headed back toward the motel. 

Dean had been pacing the floor, waiting for the girls to return with news... and his car. As much as he wanted to know whether Chloe's friend was the victim of a monster worthy of a butt-killing, he couldn't help but worry about his car. He hated it when people drove his car. He glanced at the window, impatient to hear her roar again. 

Moments later, Chloe pulled into the parking lot and slid out of the Impala, looking upset as she headed toward the motel room. 

"Dammit, they're here," Dean whispered to Sam, who was attached to his laptop. "And they look..." He blinked back the sudden burst of anger he felt. They both looked upset, which meant it was true: something out there was stealing unborn babies.

Sarah knocked gently on the door, feeling worn out and drained. She knew there was work to be done, but honestly, she much rather felt like sleeping. 

Chloe on the other hand, was keyed up with anger and energy that buzzed through her like she'd drank several lattes in an hour. She glanced at Sarah sideways. "You should get some rest, Sarah," she said quietly, waiting for one of the guys to open the door. 

Sam slowly slid his laptop away and moved to open the door. 

Sarah took one look at Sam in the doorway and shook her head. "No, I wanna help you guys," she told Chloe, stepping around the youngest Winchester with only a nod and sad smile.

Dean didn't like the energy that Chloe exuded. He'd never seen this side of her and wasn't sure how stable she'd be. "What is it, Chloe? Is it what we think it is?" he asked immediately. 

"Pretty sure," she told him, meeting his eyes and holding his gaze. 

"What did Lana say?" Sam asked, looking between the girls. 

Sarah smiled grimly, not meeting Sam's eyes. "She said she was at Lex Luthor's and doesn't remember getting to the hospital... or losing the baby."

"Just like that other woman," Dean replied, looking at Chloe intently. "Sammy, did you two find anything about what this thing is?" 

"No, nothing," he said with a soft sigh, feeling like he was letting Chloe down. 

She rested a hand on his shoulder. "It may not be a demon," she said quietly. 

Sarah said nothing but sat down in one of the chairs, putting her head in her hands.

Dean frowned in disbelief. "You trying to tell me a... person would do this?!" 

"A person with the right kind of...abilities," Chloe answered, sitting down in front of Sam's laptop and typing in the address: www.wallofweird.com. 

"Wall of Weird?" Dean asked, moving to stand behind Chloe and look at the site she pulled up. "What the hell is this?" 

"My senior class project," she said wryly. 

Dean scratched his head in vague amusement. "For high school or college?" he muttered under his breath. He played with the ends of her hair as he watched her search for a potential suspect. 

"High school," she answered, focusing on searching her database. 

Sarah shifted uncomfortably in the chair, her eyes remaining downcast. She didn't know what she could do, and even though she really needed a nap, she understood that she'd probably miss out on something important. And she didn't want to do that.

Something caught Dean's eye and he squeezed Chloe's shoulder. "Chlo, go back, will ya? I thought I saw something." 

She quickly scrolled back up the page until Dean made her stop. Her eyebrows furrowed as she leaned forward to read more closely. 

"What is it?" Sam asked, moving to look over her other shoulder. 

Out of sheer determination to be part of this, Sarah stood up and moved to stand next to Sam and stared at the screen. She saw a listing for a woman there. "Looks like someone who'd lost a baby during... the last meteor storm?" She looked down at Chloe. "How many meteor showers have struck this place?" 

"Two," she said grimly. "One in 1987 and one two years ago." She tensed a little. "The woman disappeared from the hospital.” 

"Disappeared? As in... she left the hospital disappeared, or 'her body mysteriously vanished' disappeared?" Dean asked, a little confused over what he was reading.

Sarah pointed at the screen, swallowing hard. "Says she'd been struck by a stray piece of meteor rock, knocking her out." 

"She didn't die, but according to the doctors she vanished from the hospital less than a day after being admitted," she murmured. 

"You think she was...taken?" Sam asked, glancing at her, sensing she was already formulating a theory. * * 

"It's possible," Sarah replied for Chloe, beginning to understand where she was going with this. "You know, I wonder... these meteor rocks, Chloe. Tell me about them."

Dean looked over at Sarah, a curious look in his eyes. What'd she wanna know about these damn rocks for? he wondered. He went back to playing with the nape of Chloe's neck and staring at the picture of the woman she'd posted on her site. 

"Overexposure tends to give people certain abilities which they weren't born with." 

"What kind of abilities?" Sam questioned. 

"Everything from powers of teleportation to telekinesis and mind reading. Super strength, invisibility, the ability to freeze people with a touch. Pretty much a never-ending list of weirdness." 

"And I thought we had the werid-dar on factor 100," Dean replied with a smirk, massaging the back of her neck lightly.

Sarah nodded solemnly. "I think the meteor might have mutated her somehow... and she vanished all on her own. Maybe... to search for her baby?" 

"Or maybe she vanished because someone took her," Chloe said grimly, staring at the screen. 

"Who would take her?" Dean asked, his body tensing. 

Her jaw tightened and more pieces began to align in her head. "There's only two people in this town who are obsessed with the meteor rocks in a way that would make them harm someone else to learn everything they can." 

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "Who?" 

Dean looked at Chloe, his features hard with concentration.

"The Luthors." Sarah answered what she thought were the people Chloe was thinking about. After all, didn't she know a little bit about them from her father's dealings with them? 

"Got it in one," Chloe confirmed, slowly rising to her feet and beginning to pace the room. 

"That's... not good," Sarah replied, turning away from Sam and returning to her seat at the table.

Dean was irritated by both girls' reactions, especially since he didn't know how this was all that entirely bad. "Look, at least it's not a demon or anything. What's with these Luthors, anyway?" His eyes followed Chloe's pacing. 

"Dean, sometimes people are worse than demons," Sam said, looking at him meaningfully. 

"Before I left..." Chloe drew in a breath and turned to face them, her eyes locking with Dean's. "I was trying to find a way to prove that the Luthor's have a facility designed specifically to experiment on people who've been affected by the meteor rocks." 

Suddenly remembering the case of the whacked out inbred people he and Sam had encountered in Minnesota, Dean winced visibly. "Oh no, not another crazy ass family. What did you find out?" he asked, staring into her overly troubled eyes. 

"Not enough to prove anything to anyone that mattered," she admitted, folding her arms across her chest. "But enough for me to know 33.1 exists." 

"33.1?" Sam repeated. 

"Where they keep them." 

"That sounds like something out of a comic book," Dean remarked. "Where is this place?" 

"Yeah, that's...the part I don't know. If I did, I woulda got the place shutdown." 

Sarah looked at Chloe. "So we need to find it, then, especially if... Oh, what if this woman's projecting herself into these other pregnant women, including Lana, and somehow, I dunno... suck out their child's life force or something?"

Dean gave her a look. "Sam, did you know your girl could theorize like that?" He couldn't help but be impressed. 

Sam grinned a little, glancing at her as well. "I'm learning more about her all the time." 

"So maybe...she's just...not in her body?" Chloe asked slowly. "She's astral projecting?" 

Sarah nodded, looking at Chloe but smiling a little at Sam's comment. "I've read of people who can use their mind to leave their bodies and be in two places at once. What if she's doing that and trying to use pregnant women to get her baby back?"

"That... kinda makes sense," Dean replied with a smile. 

"Yeah...it makes a lot of sense, actually," Sam said, shifting his gaze to Chloe. "Do you have any idea where the place might be?" 

She drew in a breath. "My theory's always been that it's somewhere within the LuthorCorp Plant." 

Nodding, Dean walked over to his jacket and shrugged into it. "Then I suggest we break in and get started with the sneaking around." He looked at Sam. 

"That's not gonna be as easy as it sounds." Chloe gazed at him. "And I've done it before." 

"Well then we have a guide to help us out," Sam said with a faint smile. 

"Suit up, girls, it's show time!" Dean yelled, grabbing the keys that Chloe had thrown onto the table.

A little eye-eyed, Sarah stood up. "You mean... break into the place? Seriously?" She didn't know why she felt so fearful all of a sudden. It had suddenly descended on her. 

Sam placed a hand on her arm. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," he said gently. 

She nodded, not looking at him. "I'm just... I need to lie down. You guys be careful." She cast a concerned glance at Chloe before turning and walking through the connecting door to her room.

Dean frowned just a little. "What's eating her?" he asked, patting his pockets to make sure his guns were there. 

"Not everyone starts their criminal career at a young age," Chloe informed him with a faint smirk as she headed for the door. 

"Hey, you calling me a criminal?" Dean remarked with a smile, following her outside.

With an uncertain yet worried look at the closed connecting door, Sam followed his brother and Chloe outside to the Impala. He was beginning to fear that maybe Sarah had second thoughts about tagging along and made a mental note to talk to her later. First things first, he thought. 

Chloe paused in her tracks a few feet away from Dean's car, staring at Clark, who was standing beside it, his arms folded over his chest. 

"Who's that?" Sam questioned. 

"That is Clark," Dean ground out, taking off towards the Impala, his fists clenched and ready for war. "Hey, asshole! Get off my car!" 

Sam straightened to full height and moved to catch up with his very pissed-off brother. 

"Oh boy, here we go," Chloe mumbled, hurrying to catch up as well, grabbing Dean's arm to stop him from doing anything stupid. 

Clark shot up as he saw the guy from the hospital and another guy coming towards him. "Hey, I didn't know this was your car. Sorry." No sooner had he pulled himself upright than the shorter of the two decked him in the face, which didn't hurt at all, though Clark doubled over in fake pain.

Dean felt like his fist connected with steel and jumped back in pain. "Fuck," he muttered, completely forgetting this guy was indestructible. 

Chloe winced a little and grabbed Dean's arm once more, tentatively examining his hand. "You okay?" she asked in concern. 

No, he wasn't okay. He glared at Clark hatefully. "Yeah, fine," he whispered to her.

Rubbing his jaw, Clark muttered, "What's with this guy, Chloe? He's all fist and hate!" He warily eyed the taller guy, who looked like he could take out a wall. 

Chloe turned to glare at him. "What the hell are you doing here, Clark?" she demanded. 

"I wanted to talk to you," he replied, taking a step towards her. "You got a minute?"

"Hell, no she doesn't," Dean snapped at him hatefully. God, he wanted to hurt this dude. "We're busy." 

Sam folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowed and dark as he also glared at Clark, though remained silent. 

She drew in a breath, her entire body tense as she lay a hand on Dean's arm. "Give us a minute," she asked quietly. 

"No, Chloe," he insisted, putting himself between them. There was no way he was going to let her spend a second alone. Not with him.

Clark smirked but said nothing. 

She gazed at him intently. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna fall for any of his crap," she told him very softly. 

Sighing in frustration, he moved out of the way and moved to the driver's side. "We'll be in the car." He nodded to Sam, who walked to the passenger side. Dean got in, never taking his eyes from the two of them.

Walking off to the side, Clark whispered, "That your new bodyguard?" 

Her eyes were dark and narrowed. "Apparently I need one," she retorted. 

Clark winced at the hardness in her voice. Looking down, he replied, "Look, Chloe, I know you're here because of Lana, but I had to see you." He glanced back at the Impala and at the two guys boring holes into the back of his head. 

"What do you want, Clark?" Chloe asked distantly, folding her arms across her chest. 

He frowned in despair. This was going to be harder than he thought. "To apologize for..." He swallowed hard. "But I have a feeling you don't want to hear that." 

"You're right about that." 

"Look, I didn't mean for what happened between us to... happen. It was the red-k, Chloe. I just don't understand why you took off like you did. It hurt... all of us who care about you." Clark watched her face drain of all color and knew he'd struck another nerve. Perfect, he thought. 

"Me leaving wasn't just about you, Clark. You were just the straw that broke the camel's back," she said bitterly, starting to move around him. 

He grabbed her arm lightly to keep her from leaving. "So what made you leave, then? No one understands, especially Lois. How many times do I need to apologize for what happened?" 

Her jaw tightened. "You mean aside from the fact she decided to take over my life and you decided to accuse me of being untrustworthy?" She yanked her arm away from him. 

For a moment, Clark was stunned and released her arm. "Wait, Chloe! When did I accuse you of that?" he asked, confused. "And who said Lois is trying to take over your life?" 

She looked at him in disbelief. "Article in the Planet...Lana being hesitant to marry Lex. This ringing any bells for you?" 

Unfortunately, it did. "But Chloe, I was drugged at the time," he complained. "You know I can get on that stuff. I didn't mean it." 

"No?" Her jaw trembled slightly. "Because I was under the impression that Red-K just made you more uninhibited than usual. It doesn't change who you are, it just makes you more honest." 

Sensing the damage had been done, Clark took a step back from her. "I was mad because you didn't tell me about Lana, but I didn't want it to come out like that." He looked down, unable to look into her devastated face. 

"It was none of your business, Clark," she snapped, shaking her head. 

"Since I still think of Lana as a friend, yes, it was!"

Dean heard Clark shouting at Chloe and fumed. "Dude, that guy's toast." He started to open the door and go get her. 

Sam grabbed his arm. "I think she needs to get this out, Dean." 

"Not in the middle of the fucking parking lot, she doesn't," he snapped, yanking his arm away and getting out of the car. 

"Well guess what, Clark! She's my fucking friend too! And she didn't want me to tell anyone. So I didn't." She glared at him, not backing down. "Because it wasn't my place!" 

"It's nice to finally see how you really feel about me, Chloe," Clark replied with a note of finality and turned around to walk off. And was promptly shoved back against the outside of the hotel by the short guy.

Dean put his hands around Clark's neck and wanted to squeeze. "You bastard." 

"Yeah, that's right, Clark. I'm not just your loyal little sidekick. I have other friends I care about too," she said harshly. 

"If I knew how to kick your sorry alien ass, I would," Dean growled under his breath, sure Clark had heard him.

Casting a hurt look over at Chloe, he pushed Dean off him with one hand. "What, you told this guy about me?" he demanded. 

"I didn't have to," she said, not really caring anymore. "And I could tell you how he found out, but it wouldn't do any good because you wouldn't believe me. After all, my name's not Lana." Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward the Impala, where Sam was standing looking on worriedly. 

Dean smiled in satisfaction, having heard Chloe's words towards the guy she'd loved and thinking them smoother than his favorite malt beer. It meant she was getting over him. He followed Chloe to the car, watching her get in behind Sam.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam asked Chloe, who had a hurt yet determined look on her face. 

"Yeah. Fine," she said shortly. "Let's get the hell outta here." 

Sam nodded, getting in the passenger side just as Dean got into the driver's seat. Roaring the Impala into life, they scooted out of the parking lot and towards the LuthorCorp plant. 

She instructed Dean to park down the block from the plant and when he did, she slowly climbed out of the car. "There's a back entrance. There didn't use to be security cameras there. Hopefully that still holds true." 

"If not, it'll be the shortest breakin on record," Dean muttered, getting out the car. He looked at Chloe. "Got a weapon... just in case?" 

"Pepper spray count?" 

"Sure," Sam replied, giving Dean the let it go look and nodding towards the plant.

Rolling his eyes, Dean looked at Chloe. "Okay, Chlo, let's go." He followed her, Sam trailing behind, as they made their way across the field and towards the door in question, which was, in fact, not wired to the security cameras. "All the money in the world, and dude can't install security cameras everywhere?" 

"Maybe it's one place for the Luthors to sneak into and out of whenever they want," Sam replied, trying the door and finding it unlocked. 

Chloe remained silent, slipping past them both and inside the plant, her heart thumping heavily in her chest. "This way," she said, her voice a ghost of a whisper. 

Dean went in behind her, grabbing his gun just in case of any danger. A sharp pungent smell assaulted his nose. "God, what the hell's that smell?" he whispered harshly as they made their way along the dark corridor. 

"It's the factory of the two biggest rats in town. What does that tell you?" she whispered, slowly moving down the darkened corridor slowly. 

Sam smirked at her remark but said nothing.

Grunting back a laugh, Dean followed her until they got to the end of the corridor. "Which way?" he whispered, looking both ways. 

She was silent for a moment. She'd been farther into the plant than this before and she carefully went over the layout of the place in her mind. "Left," she whispered after a moment. "There's a camera ahead, off to the right. So stay to the far side of the hall." 

Nodding, Dean moved in front of her and slid against the right hand side of the wall, his face hard with concentration, his gun in his hand. Sneaking a glance back, he saw Sam just behind Chloe and felt some relief that she was at least flanked. "How far?" he asked. 

"There's a corridor to the right in about fifteen feet." She put a hand on his arm. "It's where I tend to get caught. It's guarded." 

"Probably because that's where 33.1 is," Sam murmured. 

"Not this time," Dean hissed, creeping stealithy towards the corridor in question. When he reached the corner, he stopped abruptly, sneaking a peek around the corner. And staring. In addition to a heavily guarded door, he saw at least five move heavily armed guys. But sure enough, the sign on the door stated "33.1" on the front. "That's it," he whispered inaudibly. "But it's hot." 

Sam glanced around. "I'll distract them. You two go on and do whatever you have to do." 

"Sam, this is really dangerous," Chloe whispered worriedly, looking up at him. 

Sam looked over at Dean, who was already looking like he had an idea on how to get in.

"Chloe, this is our only shot. I'm going to need your computer skills to break through the door. Sam, go method act, dude." 

Feeling unsettled, she bit her lip and ducked behind the door with Dean. 

"Who ya gonna call?" Sam asked loudly, smirking as the guards immediately abandoned post. 

He heard several sets of footsteps retreating down the hall and peeked around the corner again. Sure enough, the guards had gone after Sam, just like he figured they would. "Thatta boy," Dean replied, beaming with pride in his brother. Taking Chloe's hand, he led her to the abandoned door. "Okay, do your lock picking magic thing." 

"Lock picking magic thing?" She stifled a giggle as she yanked an already unwound paperclip from the bottom of her purse and slid it into the lock. Seconds later she heard a soft click and she looked up at him. "We're in." 

"Like I said... magic," he whispered, smiling at her as he led the way into the long corridor, which was dimly lit and filled with several rooms on each end. The doors were barred and locked. And the sounds... he'd heard dying vamps make kinder noises. "Chloe, what the hell is this place?" he asked. 

Recoiling in horror from the sounds, she swallowed back a wave of nausea that swept over her. "A torture chamber," she whispered sickly. 

"Should've killed that bastard when I had a chance," Dean muttered, trying to drown out the screams and moaning. There was a room at the end of the hall, so he crept along towards it, hoping that was where they were keeping the lady they were looking for. 

"What are we gonna do when we find her?" Chloe whispered uncertainly, grimacing as she peered into a window in one of the rooms and saw someone tied to the bed, screaming. There were tubes and wires going into his arms, filtering a green liquid into his body. Suddenly feeling a rush of hatred for Lex that surpassed her hatred for his father, she pulled out her cell phone and snapped a picture. 

Dean looked ahead. "Hell if I know," he whispered, ignoring her attempts at exposing Luthor's crimes against humanity. Ever the reporter, he thought with a proud smile. He snuck a look inside the room at the end of the hall and blinked. "Chloe, I think I found her." And what he saw wasn't pretty. 

The woman looked like she was in a coma, for starters, but what bothered him the most was how pale she looked, tied up to the monitors with two dozen tubes and needles scattered throughout her body. 

She quickly followed him to the room, her eyes stinging with tears. She snapped a picture of her too, then slowly opened the door and stepped inside, her heart pounding wildly as she approached the woman's bedside. "God," she whispered. 

"Demons I get. People are crazy," he muttered, walking around the room carefully, searching for any hidden alarms and traps. He spied one that was connected to her heart monitor. "Chloe, we can't move her. She's tripped," he replied, looking over at her with a frown. 

"I know," she said quietly, gazing at her for a moment. Drawing in a breath, she moved over to the machine, studying it. "She's barely alive." 

He nodded sadly. "I wonder if that's how she's able to leave her body, because... she's so close to... death." He couldn't leave this woman there, he thought. Problem was, if he tried to save her, all three of them would probably end up dead. 

Chloe was silent for a moment. "I have an idea." She looked at him, knowing he wasn't going to like it at all. 

Dean looked at her and knew he was going to regret this. "Do I wanna know?" he grumbled. 

A wry smile touched her lips. "Probably not." She moved to the woman's side once again and hesitated for a moment before gently peeling the heart monitor nodule from her chest and quickly placing it on her own. "Get her outta here, Dean." 

Dean stared wide-eyed at her. "Chloe... No, Chloe. Nuh-uh, I am not leaving you in here to be testing on like some fucking lab rat!" His harsh, angry whisper hid the underlying fear that he'd never see her alive again. 

She gave him a look. "That's not part of the plan," she whispered. "Just get her outta here...I'm giving you three minutes...and then I'm running like hell." 

He watched her take off the other tubes and needles from Lucy Muir's body and fumed. "What, so you can be shot by the guerrilla squad out there?" He took a step towards Chloe but she gave him a look that told him to get the unconscious woman on the table. 

"Look, I know the layout of this place. This is the best option we have. I'll be okay," she insisted. 

Dean gently picked up the patient, though he never took his eyes of her. "You'd better, or I'm going to kick your ass," he warned in a low growl. Though he trusted Chloe and knew she understood the workings of this plant better than he or Sam, he couldn't fight back that 'worst case scenario' option. And that was something he couldn't think about right now. "Call me if you need help. I'll get her to Smallville Medical Center." His gaze was intense on her face, trying to memorize every line and curve. 

"I'll be there soon," she told him without hesitation, her gaze locking on his. "Go." 

With one last look, wishing he had time to kiss her properly, he turned and headed out of the room, quickly making his way down the hall towards the door. Fortunately, it was open, and Sam must have done a hell of a job keeping the guards busy, because no one was to be seen. Holding the woman close to his body, Dean managed to sneak out of the Luthor plant's backdoor without so much as a soul seeing him. He crossed the field, running as quickly as he could, until he got to the car. He found Sam leaning against the passenger side, a shocked look on his face. "We gotta go, Sam!" he yelled as he approached. 

"Where the hell's Chloe?" he asked wide-eyed. 

"Move, dude," he snapped, blatantly ignoring his brother's question. "Open the door. We have to get outta here." 

Sam quickly opened the backdoor to the Impala and watched his brother slide the woman inside. "Is she...?" 

"Still in there. Trying to play Braveheart." His voice was dull and toneless as he ran around to the driver's side. 

He cast a glance toward the backdoor as if somehow just watching would make her suddenly appear. "Dean, we can't leave her here!" 

"She told us to, Sammy." Dean gazed at Sam intently. He had to believe she could get out of there alive. 

"Shit," he swore under his breath, meeting his brother's gaze. 

"Look, we have to get this woman to the hospital, okay? You comin'?" He stared back at Sam, who still glanced back towards the back door of the plant. "Dude, she'll be okay." 

Drawing in a breath, Sam reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat of the Impala. Hoping his brother was right. 

&&&&&&&&

Chloe's heart was beating quickly as she stared at her watch. Knowing the alarm would sound as soon as there was no heartbeat, she swallowed hard, preparing to run like hell the second she removed the nodule from her chest. She heard nothing from the hallway, no sirens or footsteps...hopefully the guards were still busy looking for Sam and she could make it out without getting caught. I've done this before, she reminded herself. Steeling her nerves, she pulled the nodule from her skin and let it fall to the floor, wincing as the ear-piercing whine sounded before she even made it out of the room. She was barely around the corner when she ran directly into someone. "Oh fuck," she whispered, fear streaking through her. Until she looked up and found herself staring at Clark. 

Despite his better judgment, Clark had followed Chloe and her 'friends' to the LuthorCorp plant; somehow, he knew she was always on the trail of the next big story... and when the guys returned with an unconscious woman who wasn’t Chloe, he grew worried. So much so that when the Impala screeched away, he supersped into the door that they'd emerged from. Running into her was a good thing, since she looked like she was unhurt, but now wasn't the time for small talk.

The sirens raging in his ears, Clark quickly picked her up and super sped out the door, across the fields, and to the Kent Farm, where he put her down just outside his front doorstep. "Okay, Chloe, just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, scanning her with his x-ray vision to verify she was okay. 

Chloe blinked a couple of times before pulling her phone out. "Stopping Lex Luthor," she responded, sending all the pictures she'd taken to her own various email accounts. 

She sounded so matter-of-fact about it, and that pissed him off to no end. "And what about your friends? The ones who drove off, leaving you behind?" he sneered. 

She didn't look at him. "They were taking one of Lex's victims to Smallville Medical Center," she responded evenly, not allowing him to bait her this time. 

"And leaving you behind? Nice, Chloe." 

"I told them to. I knew my way out." 

Clark shook his head in disbelief. "I know you knew your way out, but that's not the point." He took a step closer to her in frustration. 

Still not looking at him, she continued sending the pictures to her accounts. "There's a point?" 

"The point is... Chloe... that you should have left with them." He couldn't believe he was saying this, but he needed something to get her to look at him. 

Chloe sighed and finally looked up at him. "I couldn't. If I had, the alarm would have gone off sooner and Dean would've been caught getting that woman out of there." 

At the mention of Dean, Clark looked away. "Okay. You need a ride somewhere?" She wasn't going to listen to him, so what was the point in arguing with her? he asked. 

"I'm supposed to meet the guys at the hospital." 

Clark smirked. "I can run you there." 

Chloe was silent for a moment, then she sent a text message to Dean. "I'm safe. Stay there. Be there soon." Then she looked up at Clark. "I think we should talk." 

"Oh gee, now you're ready to talk?" Clark retorted with a grimace, though he didn't move away. 

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, considering I won't be around much longer, I don't see another time in the near future as a possibility." 

'Won't be around much longer?' he thought. "What are you talking about? You mean... you're going to leave with those guys? Chloe..." 

"Yeah. I am," she said without hesitation. 

Clark took a deep breath. "Look, I just wanted to say I was sorry for... well, for everything. I'd hoped we could stay friends, but I guess that's not going to happen. Not after..." He grimaced, unable to speak the words. 

She was silent for a moment. "I know you're sorry," Chloe said quietly. "And...the truth is...so am I." 

That took Clark by surprise. "Wha... What do you have to be sorry for, Chloe?" he asked, the shock evident in his eyes. 

A faint wry smile touched her lips but it didn't reach her eyes. "I should have realized you weren't yourself." 

"That still doesn't make things any better," he confessed. "I ruined a good friendship because of my actions." 

"We didn't do anything I didn't wanna do, Clark," she admitted in a soft voice. 

Clark simply stared at her for several moments, shock coursing throughout his body. "Didn't do anyth--? Chloe, what are you trying to say? I mean, I remember hearing you say you loved me...." His words trailed off as he put two and two together. And felt like the largest heel this side of the Mississippi River. 

She simply gazed back at him in silence as she watched realization dawn on him. 

"When you said you loved me... you really meant it, didn't you?" he asked in a small voice. 

Chloe's eyes were sad. "It's not exactly something I go around saying to just anyone, Clark." 

He just looked at her, his eyes wide. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked. 

"You mean like when we were in high school?" 

"Whoa... high school?!" He couldn't believe what she was telling him. She'd felt like this for all these years? 

She gave him a look. "It was pretty obvious, Clark." 

Not to him it wasn't, he thought, staring back at her with confused and distressed eyes. "I really messed you up, didn't I?" he asked finally. 

A smile tugged at her lips involuntarily. "I needed therapy before I ever met you," she said lightly. 

"Gee, that's comforting," he replied with a small smile. "I really am sorry. I wish... I wish I could feel the same, but..." He shrugged helplessly, not knowing what else to say. 

"It's okay." Her voice was quiet. "The truth is...I think I'm finally getting over you." 

Clark didn't know why that hurt, but for some reason, it did... but only slightly. He smiled. "It's that Dean guy, isn't it?" he asked. 

Chloe was quiet for a moment. "I won't say he doesn't factor in. But mostly...I'm just realizing that...I'm okay on my own." 

"Chloe, you've always been okay on your own," Clark said quietly, reaching out to put a friendly hand on her shoulder. "It's one of the things I always liked about you." 

She managed a faint smile. "Well, I knew there was some reason you stuck around." 

He smiled back. "There were many reasons." He looked over at the truck. "Drive you to the medical center?" 

"That'd be nice." 

Nodding, Clark slung an arm around her shoulders and smiled. He hoped that, one day, he and Chloe would become the good friends they had been for years. In the meantime, the least he could do was give her a ride towards the new life she'd made for herself. 

&&&&&&&&

Sam stood in the hallway of Smallville Medical Center, watching his brother pace the floor and feeling almost as antsy. Despite the fact Dean had received a text message from Chloe, it had been over a half hour ago. She should've been there by now. 

Dean felt like he was going to wear a hole in the floor. He'd wanted to find Chloe as soon as he'd gotten it, but Sam had held him back. They had just gotten the news about Ms. Muir, so there was no going anywhere. Although he'd been relieved to have gotten something from her, he still wanted to see her shining green eyes. 

"How do you think she's gonna take the news about..." He nodded toward the room where the coroner was with the woman's body. 

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his brother. "I don't know, Sam. I just wanna see her, first." He snuck a glance towards the room that held the body, then moved back to stare out of the window. 

"Dean?" 

Sam turned his head toward the familiar voice as she stepped off the elevator, heading right for them...followed somewhat reluctantly by Clark Kent. 

Clark noticed Dean and the other guy, whom he guessed was the brother Sam, and stopped. From the look he was getting from both brothers, he knew he wouldn't wanted. Despite the fact that neither of them could hurt him, he had no doubt that they'd try if they could.

"Chloe?" Dean's head whipped around, noticing Clark and glaring at him for a split second before heading for her. He crossed the distance that separated them quickly and pulled her into his arms. He buried his nose into her hair and breathed deeply, more relieved than he was going to admit. 

Chloe closed her eyes, winding her arms around him in return and finally relaxing. "It's like you missed me," she teased softly. 

He gently nipped on her earlobe in response, his lips brushing lightly against her tender skin.

Sam closed his eyes and smiled. "Thank God, Chlo. Glad to see you." 

When Dean finally let her go, she kissed his cheek and moved over to Sam, hugging him as well. "Ditto." 

Coughing a little and straightening up, Dean said, "Now that the chick flick's over, can we get down to business?"

Noticing the three of them in their own little world, Clark Kent threw one last smile in Chloe's direction and left the hospital. 

"Oh come on. You liked the chick flick moment." Chloe turned to him with a smile on her face, her eyes bright. 

He smiled back though held his hands up in mock protest. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sam shook his head. "Get a room, you two." 

"How's she doing?" Chloe asked, glancing between them. 

Dean looked at Sam.

Sam looked at Dean.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Dean glanced at Chloe, his eyes darkening. "No so good, actually. She... died." 

Chloe closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall. "Damn you, Lex," she whispered angrily. 

Both the Winchester brothers looked down and away, shuffling their feet and unsure what to say or do. One thing was for sure, however: they hated this guy, almost as much as Clark Kent.

"I'm sorry," Dean finally whispered. "There was nothing the doctors could do." 

Nodding a little, she pushed off the wall, her eyes flashing. "But there is something I can do," she said with fiery determination. 

"Oh ho, whoa," Dean protested, taking a step in her direction. "Hang on a second. Let's talk about this, maybe go back to the hotel or something before you go off on another Supergirl mission."

Sam looked on silently, suddenly wondering about Sarah and whether she was alright. 

"No, this isn't a Supergirl mission," Chloe told him with a grim smile. "And I was planning on going back to the hotel. I need my laptop." 

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "I sense a little hacker action in our future."

Dean looked at Chloe, ignoring Sam's remark. "You gonna let us in on this plan?" 

"Well I was pretty much planning on mass emailing every newspaper and magazine across the country with the breaking story on Lex Luthor torturing people in his Plant." 

Dean's smile was wide, to the point of cheesy. "That's my girl," he said, impressed by her ability to rock the boat with her biting words. He had no doubt she'd be the same in this article.

"You took pictures of this?" Sam asked with a small smile. 

"Only about fifty," she said with a smirk as she led the way toward the elevators. 

Sam was impressed and smiled widely, following Dean and his girl to the elevator and back to the hotel. He wanted to make sure Sarah was okay and to share the news with her. It had been a little strange, not having her around. 

"Keep me company while I write?" Chloe asked, glancing at Dean as she unlocked the door to her and Sarah's room. 

He grinned. "Don't have to ask me twice, sweetheart," he replied, holding the door open so she could go inside. He and Sam followed her inside and found Sarah awake and sitting at the table, picking at her nails.

Sarah looked up, her bored yet anxious eyes scanning all three of them before settling uncertainly on Sam. "Hey, guys... been wondering when you'd get back." 

Chloe offered her a small smile. "Good to be back." 

Sam gazed at Sarah. "Yeah, it is. Everything okay here?" 

"Yeah, fine," she whispered, looking back down again. A slight frown settled on her brow. "So... what happened?" she asked, watching Chloe grab her laptop bag.

"Sam'll fill you in, I'm sure," Dean remarked with a knowing grin towards his brother. Pulling open the connecting door, he held it open for Chloe to walk through it. 

"I've got an article to write," she told Sarah with a wink, disappearing into the guys' room. 

The door clicked shut, and suddenly Sarah was alone with Sam. A tension filled the air, and she didn't know where it came from. Them, most likely, she thought, looking up at him. Yeah, he'd told her he loved her, and God, she was attracted to him... more than he knew. She just didn't know where she fit. In his life. In this way of living. "What article?" she asked, her voice cracking a little. 

"Hey, everything's...mostly okay," he said gently, sitting down beside her. 

"Mostly okay?" she repeated with wide eyes. "What happened, Sam?" 

Sam drew in a breath and told her everything from start to finish, looking down at the floor when he was done. "Chloe's working on an article to expose the Luthor's for what they've done." 

Sarah nodded, a determined yet sad smile on her face. "Good, the bastard deserves to fall as hard as possible." She looked away as she spoke, feeling more out of place by the minute. 

"Sarah, are you all right?" He reached out to touch her hand. 

She shrugged, relaxing just a little. "Fine, everything's... just fine." 

"So how come you don't seem like you're really all right?" 

"Because I'm a lousy liar?" she asked with a small laugh, looking up into Sam's dark eyes and wanting to get lost in them. 

"Talk to me," Sam said softly, his gaze worried. 

Her gaze remained locked on his. She sighed. "I just... I think I'm not cut out for... this." She spread a hand around, indicating more than just the room they were sitting in. 

His face fell a little. "Oh," he whispered. 

Sarah couldn't handle the sadness in Sam's eyes, so she touched his cheek gently. "I'm a little squeamish, I guess." She laughed bitterly. "I couldn't even handle something as simple as a meteor freak, as Chloe calls them. How can I be a benefit to you guys?" She stared at him with sad, longing eyes. 

He leaned into her touch, then turned his head to kiss her hand. "My first time hunting...I threw up all over the place. It's not an easy job," he said quietly. "But if...if you wanna go back to New York...I'll understand." His voice was pained. 

She smiled at his gentleness. "I'm not going back to New York, Sam. I just... don't know where I fit in." She paused for a moment, her hand still on his cheek. "Seriously, you actually threw up?" 

A short chuckle escaped him. "Oh yeah. Big time." 

Her smile turned wry. "You puked on Dean?" 

"His shoes." Sam grinned. 

She stared at him and laughed, a short chuckle as she fell into him just a little. "Oh I bet he loved that," she replied, squeezing his hand a little. 

He laughed with her. "He's probably still pissed about it." 

She giggled at the thought of his brother holding a grudge over such a silly thing and then wished she could know what that was like. Her laugh faded. "I'm sorry I wasn't with you guys today." 

"It's okay." He smiled at her. "I'm sure there'll be times when Chloe doesn't wanna go on a certain hunt, too. Hell, half the time I don't wanna go. It happens, Sarah. Don't be hard on yourself, okay?" 

"Easier said than done," she replied with a sad smile. She cocked her head to the side. "But I'll try... because I like being here." 

"I like having you here," Sam told her quietly. 

Sarah's eyes lit up at his comment. "You do?" she asked softly, remembering his words of love and blushing slightly. 

"Yeah. I do." He gazed at her. 

She swallowed hard, her eyes dropping to Sam's lips. She colored in embarrassment. 

Noticing her gaze drop, his own dropped to her lips as well. "Sarah..." 

The connecting door suddenly burst open and Chloe stepped into the room. Sarah saw the movement out of the corner of her eyes and jumped back like she'd just been bitten... and not in a good way. 

"Oh, God...I’m so sorry!" Looking embarrassed, Chloe quickly backed away and closed the door once more. 

"Wait, Chloe..." Sarah called, but she heard the door click shut again. Sighing, she looked at Sam, her face several shades of red. The moment had been broken, she thought. "Maybe she found something?" she whispered, unable to meet his eyes. 

Wordlessly, Sam leaned forward and kissed her, cupping her cheek with one hand. 

Surprised by his sudden yet not unexpected movement, Sarah closed her eyes and moved into his kiss, her hands digging into his shirt as she kissed him back. Forget his eyes, she thought. It was his mouth that fascinated her: not only what came out of it but also how he used it. 

Groaning a little at her movement, he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. 

"Sam," she whispered against his lips, hating the table that separated them but thankful for it at the same time. She fell harder under his kisses, yielding to the intense pressure of his mouth moving against hers. 

When the kiss ended, they were both breathless. Sam leaned his forehead against hers, his heart beating quickly. "That was..." 

"Wow," she whispered, her breath hitching in her throat at the feel of his heart throbbing in his chest. She closed her eyes, speechless and peaceful for the first time all day. She also hated that this simple kiss brought its own complications. 

"Yeah...wow," he whispered in agreement. 

She moved away, the awkwardness settling in again. "You think... maybe Chloe needed something?" she asked, daring to look into Sam's eyes again. 

"Maybe. We should probably..." He drew in a breath and slowly stood up. 

Sarah stood up but grabbed Sam's hand. "Sam?" she asked, looking up at him, a soft smile on her face. 

"Yeah?" He looked back at her. 

"Thanks." She stared at him intently. 

"For what?" Sam asked, a little confused. 

"For this." 

A soft smile touched his lips. "Thank you." 

She grinned playfully. "For what?" 

"This." He smiled back at her and kissed her softly once more. 

Standing on her tiptoes, Sarah returned his kiss, gentle and unassuming, before pulling away. "Careful. A girl could get used to that," she warned with a flirtatious smile. 

"That's what I'm hoping for," he whispered. 

The gentle smile remained on her face as she took his hand and led him to the connecting door. She opened it and went through it, feeling empowered and once more like she was a part of the group.

Dean looked up from watching Chloe writing her expose to find Sarah and Sam walk through the door, hand in hand. He grinned knowingly and looked back at the screen, his hand gently stroking Chloe's back.

Chloe was totally lost in what she was doing and didn't even realize that Sam and Sarah had stepped into the room. Her fingers flew across the keyboard like her hands were on fire, her gaze locked on the screen. 

Sam nodded slightly at his brother, then looked over at Chloe, smiling a bit at how caught up she was in her work. 

"I bet she types over a hundred words a minute," Sarah whispered, a little awed at the sheer intensity of the clacking sounds of the keyboard.

"She's been like this ever since she sat down," Dean replied in a low voice, looking at them with a smirk. 

Sam shook his head a little, smiling faintly. 

"Done," she announced suddenly. 

"About time," Dean replied playfully, knowing it would have taken him several days to attempt at what Chloe did in just under thirty minutes.

Sarah smiled. "So when can I read this article? I hope you bashed the Luthors good." 

"Just the facts. That alone is enough damage." She saved her article and moved away from her computer so Sarah could sit down and read it. She looked at Dean. 

"It's a damn good article, though, Chloe," Dean replied, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ears. "Bastard's got it coming to him."

Sarah's eyes widened at the content of the article. "Wow, Chloe, this is... Oh my God, there are pictures?" 

"Yeah. A lot. They're pretty graphic," she warned softly, looking at her friend momentarily. 

She snuck a look in Sam's direction. "Makes me glad I wasn't there. I don't think I would have slept for several days."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet, Sarah," Dean replied with a casual, flirtatious smile. Which promptly disappeared when Sam glared at him. 

Chloe's smile slipped a little. She glanced around. "I've got some stuff to do before we head out. I'll be back." 

"Can I help?" Sarah asked, standing up and giving the laptop back to Chloe. She was totally oblivious to what had just happened, though she'd felt a change in the air.

Dean frowned, regretting his impulsive words. "Chloe..." 

"No," she told Sarah softly. "Just some people I need to...talk to before we leave." She glanced at Dean and then Sam. "I'll be back soon. Don't get in trouble, okay?" She headed for the door, grabbing her purse on the way. 

Watching her leave, Sarah sighed. "Guess I'll go pack," she told Sam, smiling a little at him and squeezing his hand.

Dean took several steps towards Chloe, trying to block her escape. "Hang on a second." 

She looked up at him. "What?" 

He scratched his head a little. "I'd... like to come with you," he whispered. 

"I know." Chloe's voice was quiet. "But...this is something I need to do alone." 

He let out a breath and looked into her eyes intently. "Okay." He leaned down and brushed her lips with his gently. "Hurry back." 

Nodding a little, she turned and headed out the door without another word. 

Stunned, Dean turned around to look at Sam, who was still staring at the connecting door Sarah had retreated behind. "Okay... awkward," he said to himself. "I sure know how to clean out a room." 

Sam glared at him. "Gee. I wonder how you managed to do that," he retorted. 

"What'd I do?" he retorted, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. 

"Try thinking with your upstairs brain, okay? Just once a day maybe? That'd be nice, Dean." Turning, Sam headed into the other room, shutting the door behind him. 

Alone again, he thought, sagging onto his bed uncomfortably. It wasn't like he meant to say anything to piss Chloe or Sam off. Fortunately Sarah had either not seen it or had merely ignored it, but still... 

Lying back onto the pillows, he wondered when he was going to learn to think before he spoke. He'd never been in a situation before where he loved a woman like Chloe, especially when he wasn't sure how she felt about him. He sighed, knowing he needed to pack but unable to stop thinking about that independent blonde that had captured his heart.

When Sarah heard the connecting door shut, she turned, expecting Chloe to be there. She was surprised to find Sam, instead. "Hey, what... I didn't expect you back in here so soon," she said, hiding the handful of bras behind her back and tossing them into her suitcase with a nervous smile. 

"Sorry...just…need some space from that jackass sometimes." 

She laughed. "What'd he do now?" She sobered a little at the strained look on Sam's face and took a step towards him. 

"Just being himself." He smiled faintly. 

She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm sure traveling with your brother can be a real pain in the butt." She turned towards the bed, making sure she hid all the things she didn't want Sam to see... just yet. 

"What do you say we get outta here when you're done packing and get some dinner? Chloe recommended the Talon." 

She turned around and looked at him, a flirtatious smirk on her face. "Sam Winchester, are you asking me out on a date?" 

His cheeks flushed. "Uh...only if you're going to say yes." 

Closing the short distance between them, she put her hands on his chest. "Here's a hint," she whispered. "I'm going to say yes." There was a twinkle in her eyes. 

He grinned. "Well, then, in that case, yes...I'm asking you out on a date." 

The grin turned into a bright smile. "Then yes, I'd love to have dinner with you. Guess I might need some things out of my suitcase after all." She winked and turned around to find something to wear. 

"I'm gonna go get the keys to the Impala. I'll be right back." 

"Okay," she called, pulling out a nice pair of slacks and a thick sweater, feeling sure she'd need it to alleviate the cold... even if she didn't feel a bit of it.

Dean was staring at the ceiling when he heard the connecting door slam. "Sammy, you gonna pack, dude?" he asked, not bothering to look around. 

"Actually I'm taking Sarah out for dinner. Just came to get the keys." He picked them up off the dresser. 

"Good idea," he replied thoughtlessly. "Take your girl out. Just... don't scratch my baby, okay?" 

Sam pause as he was halfway to the connecting door once more. "I won't." 

Hearing the door shut smartly once again, Dean sighed, hoping Sarah would help unwind his overly stressed out brother. 

&&&&&&&&

Chloe stood on the doorstep of Lois's apartment above the Talon, drawing in a breath as she knocked softly. 

Lois opened the door to find her cousin on the other side. "Well, I'm shocked you actually came to see me," she replied with an edge to her voice. 

"Me too, actually. But I didn't really wanna leave town without at least attempting to settle things between us. Can I come in?" 

Without a word, Lois stepped aside and opened the door wide, allowing Chloe entrance to her place. 

Chloe stepped inside and drew in a breath, looking around for a moment before turning to face her cousin again. "It really hurt me that you went to Jimmy instead of me for helping you with the articles. If I'd known you'd wanted an in at the Daily Planet, all you had to do was ask me, Lois. I would've helped you." Her voice was quiet. 

Lois snorted in derision, moving into the kitchen and grabbing a bottled water out of the fridge. "What, and live under your shadow at the DP for the rest of my life? I don't think so. I wanted to make it on my own, and Jimmy... well, he said he wanted to help." She turned and looked at Chloe, sipping on the water. 

Flinching a little, she turned to look at her again. "Sorry. I wasn't aware we were competing," she said, hurt. 

"Whoa, wait a second," she replied, thumping the water on the counter. "Isn't that what we've been doing this whole time since I got my job at the Inquisitor? You haven't thought for a second that I knew what I was doing or even if I was going to be a decent reporter. You know how much that upset me?" 

Chloe stared at her. "Is that what you think? Look, maybe I was skeptical because I've seen you go from one interest to another, but I never said you didn't have talent or that you couldn't do it." 

"Skepticism is enough for me," Lois replied, hurt that Chloe wasn't making enough effort to work through this thing with her. She wanted to make amends, even for her cousin to stick around Smallville. Somehow, though, she didn't think that was going to happen. "I'm sorry if that whole thing with Jimmy hurt you, and for what it's worth, I regret doing it because it got in your way of working at the Planet..." 

"It didn't. I left because I chose to, not because anyone forced me to," she informed her cousin. 

She looked skeptical, returning Chloe's gaze with her own steady and inquisitive one. "Tell me about these guys you're traveling with," she replied. "Jimmy must love the idea of that." 

She shrugged a little, unwilling to give her much on that front. "Just some people I met when I left. They're good guys. And Jimmy doesn't know. And even if he did, I don't care." 

She was taken aback. "Really?" she said, the shock in her voice evident. "I'm surprised, Chloe. I thought you were really into him." She now wondered what had happened to create this... change she sensed in her cousin. She seemed stronger, more sure of herself. 

"He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong. But..." She smiled a little. "Not the one for me." 

A faint, knowing smile crept onto Lois's features. She crossed her arms and looked straight into Chloe's eyes. "Something tells me... you've possibly found the right one, haven't you? And it's one of those guys..." 

Chloe smiled a little mysteriously. "I don't know. I'm not gonna rush into anything. But I like where I am now." 

"And where would that be, exactly?" she asked with a smile. 

"Away from Smallville," she answered without hesitation. "You were right when you said I was destined for bigger things. I am. Just...not what I thought." 

"I always knew that," Lois bragged, moving towards her cousin. "Metropolis is way too small for the likes of you." 

Chloe smiled and embraced her cousin in a hug. "I'll send you postcards." 

"You'd better," she whispered, fighting back the tears that sprang to her eyes suddenly as she hugged Chloe back. "And keep me posted on... things." as she pulled away, she winked playfully. 

"Always." Chloe's own eyes watered, relief washing over her because things were okay between them. "And you...take that editor at the Planet by storm." 

"Who, White?" she teased, walking Chloe to the door. "He's putty in my hands already. Take care, Chlo." 

"You too, Lois." She smiled and headed out of the apartment, slowly descending the stairs of the Talon and looking around. She spotted Sarah and Sammy cuddled together in a booth, neither seeing her and she couldn't help but grin. Maybe things would work out okay after all. 

&&&&&&&&

"Read it to me again, Chloe," Dean said, a stupid grin on his face as he drove the Impala west out of Smallville, Kansas. He knew Chloe's article would hit the newsstands today but had no idea the sheer publicity it would receive. When they stopped for gas just outside of town, Chloe and Sarah had grabbed copies of every major newspaper in the country, and all had the same things splashed across the front headline. That the Luthors had been arrested and were awaiting trial for their human testing practices. The tabloids, of course, talked about Lana Lang dumping Lex Luthor, which was hardly surprising. 

Chloe shook her head a little in amusement, grinning as she began to read him the article once more. Truthfully she herself was bordering on exuberant. Not only had she finally gotten 33.1 shut down and the Luthor's busted, Lana had taken her side and dumped Lex flat on his ass and she couldn't be happier about that. She left town knowing Clark would look after her cousin and Lana and that they'd be all right. "I'm not sure which I like best. The picture of Lex behind bars, or the mug shot of Lionel," she said with a laugh. 

From the backseat, Sarah snickered at the picture Chloe was referring to. "I definitely think Lex looks good in orange." She noticed Sam looking at her from above his own paper, a strange look in his eyes. "What, I can't think orange is an attractive color on a known felon?" she asked innocently. 

Sam snorted and shook his head. "Charges include first degree murder, abduction, attempted murder...this list is huge." 

Chloe's smile faded a little. "It doesn't matter. They'll get off." 

Stepping harder on the gas, Dean frowned. "My, aren't you a buzz kill," he replied flatly, staring ahead at the long stretch of open road, nothing before them but the horizon.

"She's got a point," Sarah replied solemnly. "With all the money they've got? Their lawyers will be all over this, and by the time they're through, they'll make the Luthors look like humanitarians." 

Chloe stared out at the window. "At least 33.1 is shut down and the world knows they're scum." 

Sam nodded silently, turning through his newspaper and sighing a little contentedly, his thoughts shifting back to the time he and Sarah had spent together earlier. "Yeah, it's people like that who make this world the most... demonic."

"Tell me about it," Dean replied, cranking up the music.

"Where we headed to now?" Sarah asked, biting back the smile that threatened to surface at the absent look on Sam's face. 

"Anywhere but here," Chloe answered, leaning back in her seat and turning to look at Dean silently. 

"Nebraska," Dean said quietly, making eye contact with his brother, who had looked up suddenly at the mere mention of that state. 

"Why?" Sam asked in surprise, meeting his gaze in the mirror. 

"The Roadhouse, Sammy," he replied, focusing back on the road. "Think it's time we paid Ellen and Jo a visit, don't you?"

Sarah looked utterly confused and lost. "You know these people, Chloe?" she asked. 

"No, I don't," she said, glancing at Dean and then Sam, just as much confusion on her face. 

Dean cleared his throat. "They're... old friends of the family." The frown on Sam's face caught his attention in the rearview mirror. "Dude, we're going, okay?" 

"Whatever you say. You're driving." Sam let out a breath, suddenly on edge once more. 

"Great, more tension," Sarah muttered under her breath as she folded down her newspaper and scooted into the seat. She stared out the window, watching the flatlands fly by.

"Damn right I'm driving," he replied, pushing harder on the gas, forcing the Impala to her maximum speed. 

Chloe glanced at Sarah in the rearview and suddenly wished Sam was in her spot and she was in the backseat. She had a feeling it was going to be one hell of a long, tense drive to Nebraska.


End file.
